


The Calling

by Chasyn



Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, All the cool people are half shark, And Sharky Parts, Background Zara/Claire, Boats and Ships, Good Brother Zach, Just Sharks, Kidnapping, Like Mermaids, Lots of Sharks - Freeform, M/M, Mersharks, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Momma Zach, Obsession, People gonna kill sharks, Poaching, Shark - Freeform, Shark Lesson, Shark People have Sharky Skills, Sharks, Sharks gonna eat people, So many sharks, There's gonna be blood and death, This is like Shark School with a little Zachwen, Trans Character, Weird Biology, eventually, fear of water, just keep swimming, just weird, seriously, shark people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25538962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasyn/pseuds/Chasyn
Summary: He spent his whole life staring out at the ocean and hearing call to him. He just never knew how to answer. And then he saw the shark.
Relationships: Owen Grady/Zach Mitchell
Comments: 18
Kudos: 42





	1. A Tendency to Start Fires

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea myself, NamelessIceDragon, and Momma had. It was a random, tiny idea that sprouted a few years back when I said I wanted to write mermaids. Then Nameless and I took the idea and ran with it, making an outline. And I wrote it! 8D Now... I've spent over a year on this. But I am sad to say I still didn't get it finished. My original plan was to write it all in the background and then have it ready to post for Shark Week. (Which is usually in the last week of July near my birthday, but this year it's in August.) Anyways, it's my birthday today, so I decided why not post the first chapter now? 8D HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! One chapter today, then a chapter a day during Shark Week (August 9th-15th), then after that... no clue. XD I only got 8/18 chapters done so far. 8D ANYWAYS... I LOVE SHARKS! AND I JUST GOT TO SEE JAWS IN THE MOVIE THEATER! IT WAS AWESOME! … did I mention sharks yet?
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in keeping me company while I type (or just pestering me on a daily basis), I have a Discord chat server.  
> <https://discord.gg/JGgeWp3>  
> Chas#0048

It was a quiet, calm night. The pristine waters were still and the moon hung bright and full in the dark sky. Moonlight cascaded down and shone on the small ripples of the surface. It was peaceful and serene and it had been a quiet night, until the loud thunk shattered the stillness.

"I'm telling you, Eli. This fucker's huge. It's gonna bring in a lot of cash. If I can get it to stop thrashing before it wrecks my boat." He was barely an adult, in more ways than one. Young and rash, stubborn and pigheaded. He was out, in the middle of the night, illegally poaching threshers and whitetips in protected waters. And not for the first time, either. When a juvenile hammerhead got caught up in his net, he hauled it on board without a second thought. Even as a juvenile, the shark was a third the size of the boat. And it was still thrashing around, it's tail completely tangled in the net. Around it were a dozen or so smaller sharks, all over the deck.

The radio clicked and an angry voice snapped over the static. "You are a fucking moron, Vic."

The young man frowned as he pulled the receiver closer to his mouth. "Eli, you should see the size of this thing!"

"I know hammers are big and profitable." The voice said with a sigh. "But you aren't equipped to handle one."

Vic rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I'm fucking capable of..." The boat suddenly lurched. He dropped the receiver and struggled to stay on his feet. "The fuck was that?"

"Vic? Vic?" The voice called. "What's going on?"

He grabbed the cord and yanked it up off the floor. He caught the receiver and spoke into it. "Hang on. Think I hit something."

"You hit something?" Eli snapped. "You're in the middle of..."

Vic didn't let the man finish. He slammed the receiver down and headed out on deck. The boat lurched again, this time in the other direction. He didn't hit _something_. _Something_ was hitting him. He gripped the railing tightly as another hit wracked the small fishing boat. He nearly pitched forward on that one. What the hell was going on? Some underwater assault by some pansy animal activist? It wouldn't be the first since he'd been given the boat.

"Vic! I swear!" The voice yelled over the radio, just barely audible. "You get caught because you're showboating out there and I'm taking my boat back and you're fired."

Vic rolled his eyes again and shook his head. "Whatever." He knew Eli would never do that. He hadn't yet, at least. Vic ignored the thrashing shark and walked over to the railing. He leaned over the edge of the boat and squinted. He couldn't see anything but it was hard with only the dim lights from his boat and the moon bouncing off the water. "Whoever the fuck's down there, knock it the fuck off. I got a gun and I ain't afraid to use it."

He waited a moment, his eyes still searching for any sign of movement. He didn't get a response. But he didn't exactly expect one either. He still didn't see anything. He sighed and pushed off the rail. Hopefully he scared them off. But still, he needed to pack up and get out of there. If someone was around, they probably alerted the coast guard already. They were probably around on their way. Damn water cops getting in his way.

He turned a second too soon. He didn't see it rising out of the water. He didn't hear it over the sound of the still struggling hammerhead. What he did notice were the droplets of water suddenly raining down on him and the shadow over the boat, blocking out the moonlight. Vic glanced up. His brain didn't even have a chance to process what his eyes were seeing. He moved on instinct, on muscle memory alone. He ducked and rolled out of the way and then scrambled back. His fingers and boots scraped along the deck. His eyes were wide as his brain still attempted to process what he was seeing.

It was... it was a… there was a...

He'd never seen one before, not outside of a book or an article, never one out in the ocean. He'd never seen a hammerhead, either, but this was so much more terrifying and bigger.

The juvenile great white landed with a thud on the deck of the boat, half on top of the pile of smaller sharks. It's tail was hanging off the boat and it seemed to be flopping around, trying to do who knows what. But out of the water, it's massive size was a hindrance. It whipped it's head back and forth and finally turned it's black, dead-looking eyes on the human.

Vic's brain started then. He jumped up and stumbled back as the monstrous shark snapped it's jaws at him. Row upon row of razor sharp teeth, with more just under the surface, seemed to shine in the moonlight. "Fuck!" It was inching closer as it twisted and thrashed about. The other sharks were also thrashing more, as if riled up and spurred on by the larger predator. The hammerhead had managed to flip around and was snapping as well.

Vic turned and fled inside the cabin. He wasn't lying earlier. He did have a gun on board. _Somewhere_. But in his panicked state, he couldn't remember where it was. His mind was rocking just as bad as the boat underneath his feet. He had to get both of the large sharks off his board before they sank it with him still on board. He was too far out to call for help. And he was also poaching illegally in protected waters. So no help was coming for him. Plus no one he called would believe him that a great white shark had practically flown onto his boat. He couldn't even believe it himself and he'd seen it. The boat rocked and he stumbled and smacked into the table. He fell and clutched at his stomach. "Fuck!" Pain radiated through him. He leaned back against the wall for a moment and sucked in a breath. And then the boat lurched again and something fell, hitting him across the back. He fell forward onto the floor and landed in a heap.

His vision blurred a bit and he shut his eyes tight. He let out a groan and pulled his knees to his chest. He breathed in deeply for a moment. And then the boat rocked again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." He had to move. He had to get up and get those damned things off his boat and get out of there before things got worse. Eli was never going to let this go. Vic was certain he was getting fired for real this time. He pulled himself up slowly, struggling to keep upright as the boat rocked under his feet. And then his eyes settled on the harpoon gun on the ground. That's what must have fallen and hit him. He winced as he bent down to pick it up. The boat lurched again and Vic thought he was going to be sick.

"Stop hitting me, Barry!" A hushed voice filtered into the cabin, just barely audible.

The boat had finally stopped rocking and Vic frowned as he listened, too stunned to move.

"Watch your tail!" The voice hissed.

Vic rolled his eyes. Had the animal activists snuck on board? Well good. Maybe the giant sharks would eat them instead. He lifted up the harpoon gun and ran back out on the deck. The sight before him might have been even weirder than the flying shark. A naked teenage boy was wrestling with the hammerhead. Or something like that. He'd yanked the creature towards the edge of the boat and looked to be trying to get it back in the water. The great white shark was gone. Vic's mind raced. Had he imagined it? Had it gotten back into the water somehow? He hadn't heard a splash. And if so, how had the kid survived with a clearly rabid great white shark in the waters? Vic pushed the questions from his mind as he lifted the harpoon gun and aimed it at the kid. "Who the fuck'er you an' what are you doing on my boat?" He snapped.

The kid spun around, his eyes wide and almost seeming to glow. His mouth dropped open, exposing his oddly shaped teeth, but nothing came out.

Vic's own eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. But he wasn't mimicking the kid on purpose. He'd gotten a full look at the kid once he turned. Vic wasn't exactly looking, but his eyes had dropped and he openly stared for a few seconds. "What the fuck? You have two..."

The hammerhead thrashed and its tail hit the kid hard in the leg. He fell down, hard, on the deck. "Shit, bro." He flopped over and pushed hard against the hammer's head. "Not funny! And I did not!"

Vic frowned as he watched. What the hell was going on? "Hey, you mutant freak or whatever!" He snapped and lifted the harpoon gun higher. "Get your freak ass off my boat!" The kid turned back to look at him. The hammerhead snapped and Vic shifted his aim to it. He didn't need it alive. He'd kill it first and then get rid of the kid.

"No!" The kid surged forward and knocked Vic completely off his feet. Vic fell back and smacked his head against the side of the boat. The kid's eyes widened. "Shit!" His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. But he didn't smell any fresh blood from the guy, just the smears on his hands that also stained the deck, no doubt from scraping the delicate digits across the rough surface. The kid breathed out. Good, he hadn't wanted to kill the human. He just wanted to save his brother and cousins. He grabbed the harpoon gun from the limp grip and quickly tossed it overboard. Then he turned back to his brother. He rolled his eyes, watching as the hammerhead continued to flop around on the deck. "Barry, could really use more hands right now."

The hammerhead stopped and looked over at the kid. He shook his oddly shaped, elongated head like he was saying no.

"Fine. Then give me some teeth." The nets were wet and heavy and tangled around all of the smaller sharks. They'd all stopped moving, understanding immediately who and what the larger sharks were and that they were there to help. But out of the water, his strength was diminished and he was tiring quickly. The hammer rolled to the side and opened his mouth. The kid stepped closer without any sign of fear. He smiled as he picked up a corner of the net and pulled it. He placed the ropes in the hammer's mouth. "Hold tight." He instructed. "But don't bite threw them yet!" He warned.

The hammer gently shut his mouth. The kid bent down and placed both palms flat on the hammer's belly. "Count of three, we roll you off." The shark lifted his head in a nodding manner. "One... two... three." He pushed with all he had left. His feet scraped against the deck floor. But his skin didn't tear and bleed like the human's. It took a few minutes longer than it should have but finally, the hammerhead started to move. He was close enough to the edge. One more good push and he rolled over, dragging the whole net of sharks with him.

The kid crossed his arms and smiled. That wasn't too hard. He heard a slap and turned to see a small whitetip still flailing about on the deck. He went over and scooped it up. "Sorry, cousin. Promise I wouldn't have left ya." The shark blinked at him and he laughed. Then he walked over to the edge of the boat and stepped off.

Vic came too rather quickly. He's only been knocked out for a couple of minutes. But he just continued to lay there, splayed out on the floor, as he watched and listened to the weird mutant on his boat. It wasn't until the mutant disappeared over the edge of the boat that Vic moved. Slowly, he sat up and got to his feet.

"Where's the guy?"

It was a new voice. Vic stopped and held his breath as he listened.

"Knocked out." Answered the kid. "He's still alive so it's all good."

"But he saw you!" The new voice hissed.

There was a laugh. "He saw a kid sneak onto his boat. Nothing weird."

"Nothing weird?" The new voice hissed. "Seriously? He _saw_ you!"

"It's dark."

"He has eyes."

"Stop worrying, Barry."

"Stop being stupid, Owen!"

There was a sigh. "What was I supposed to do, brother? Let him take you?"

"Yes!" The new voice snapped.

"You're saying if it were me, you'd leave me to die?"

"If it risked us getting caught, then yeah."

"That cold, brother. Cold." The kid said.

"You'd get caught doing something reckless."

"Oh!" The kid exclaimed. "Oh, like racing?"

"THAT WAS YOUR IDEA!" The second voice snapped, raising his voice for the first time.

"Yeah, and you didn't say no." He pointed out. "Now hold still, your tail's still tangled."

Vic edged closer to the railing of the boat. He gripped the bottom rung and pulled himself closer. He saw the same kid from before, treading the water near the tail of the hammerhead. He looked like he was trying to untangle the rope from around the caudal fins. Vic's eyes searched the scene for the source of the second voice and saw the dark skinned teenage boy, floating on his stomach... beside the... hammerhead... expect... he wasn't floating beside it or in front of it...

Vic's eyes, which seconds ago had separated the two, seeing them as different creatures because that's what made sense, saw something that wasn't possible. The dark skinned teenager had a light grayish green dorsal fin jutting out of his back, matching skin that stretched around the fin and down his back to his waist, where a large tail replaced his legs. It was a mermaid... merman... mershark! And the first kid, Vic noticed the dark gray and white tail... the great white shark hadn't disappeared. _The kid was the great white._ How was that possible?

_How was anything he just witnessed possible?_

The kid finally managed to free the other's tail. He tossed the rope away and slapped the other's fin. "Okay. Now... rematch?"

"No!" The hammerhead thing snapped before diving down into the water.

"Wait! Barry! Come back here!" The great white kid followed.

Vic sat there, staring at the spot where they'd disappeared. Several long, unknown minutes ticked by. But the two didn't return.

"Vic! Vic!"

He wasn't sure how long Eli had been calling his name over the radio. But the voice was finally able to penetrate the fog in his mind. Vic shook his head and blinked for a moment. He shook himself again as he pushed away from the railing and headed inside the cabin. He grabbed the radio receiver. "Eli..." He started and stopped. He didn't exactly know how to explain what he saw. He had no clue what he'd seen.

"Where the fuck have you been, Vic?"

"Eli..." Vic breathed out. "You won't believe what just happened."

"If you've gotten caught..."

"No!" Vic interrupted quickly. "That hammerhead... it wasn't a shark."

"What?"

"And there was this great white and it wasn't a shark either."

"What are you..."

"They were people, Eli." Vic interrupted. "Some mutant, messed up freaks. They had like... shark tails and like... transformed... into the sharks. Like... mermaids... mersharks..."

"Vic..."

Vic couldn't stop talking. He went over every little detail he remembered, from the moment he first saw the hammerhead and threw his net to when the pair disappeared. He didn't leave anything out and just kept going. He wasn't even sure what he was saying. He just kept talking and he couldn't control himself. He felt like he was going crazy. Because the more he talked about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. But he'd seen it. He did! "I swear, Eli! I saw them! They're real!"

Eli burst out laughing over the radio. "I don't get the joke here." He said after he caught his breath. "It's lame but... just get yourself packed up and get out of there before the sharks come back or you get caught."

"It's not a joke, Eli." Vic said, his tone serious.

Eli stopped laughing and cleared his throat. "Whatever, Vic. Just get going."

"I'm serious, Eli." Vic continued. "Dead serious. I saw..." But the radio went dead and Eli was gone. Vic stared at it, glared at it, for a moment. He didn't care if Eli didn't believe him. He saw it. He _knew_ he did. He picked up the radio and tried to call the coast guard. But the moment he mentioned mermaids, they hung up on him. Vic radioed back and was threatened with arrest if he called again.

Vic reluctantly packed up and went back home. The next day, he went to the local library and checked out every book about mermaids and sharks. He read everything he could and scoured the internet. But there was nothing about mersharks. And all the information he found on mermaids listed them as mythical. He joined some message boards and started talking to anyone who would listen. He became obsessed. He devoted all his time and energy to finding proof of these things. His hauls for Eli became less and less. Eli ended up firing him and taking back his boat. Vic didn't care. He had enough money saved and bought a small boat. It was shit but it floated and he kept searching.

Years passed. He traveled the coast, never straying too far from the Sorna sea where he'd first seen the mersharks. The _only_ place he ever saw them. The only place he was sure to find proof! But he didn't. He tried to follow shark migration patterns, thinking maybe the freaks were more animal than person. But he never found anything. Every search came up empty handed.

And suddenly, he realized he'd wasted 6 years of his life on something that might have been a hallucination or some weird trick of the moonlight.

Vic downed another bottle of beer and tossed it on the floor. It clattered against the other empties. The whole floor of the small cabin was covered. He'd lost count of all he'd drunk over the last month. His boat had been docked at the marina for nearly two months. He'd only left long enough to get food and more beer. He was worthless. He knew it. His whole life was a joke. Who was he kidding? If these things were real, he wasn't finding them again. He knew it. He wasted his whole life on some fairytale that he was never finding proof of. He might as well just drink himself to death. It was really his only option at this point. Vic laid back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Just get in the boat." An unknown voice said with a hint of panic.

Vic opened his eyes and glanced at his watch. It was 3:15 in the morning. Who the hell was awake and at the marina at this hour? He blinked in the darkness and sat up. He glanced out the window and squinted.

A young man stood on the docks, right beside Vic's boat. He glanced around, looking worried. Squatting awkwardly on the docks beside him was a young woman. Her back was to Vic and he didn't get a good look. But she was laughing. "No one's here." She said. "It's early."

"Karen, no." The man said, shaking his head and stepping closer. "Just wait until we get out to sea."

She stood up and glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling. "No one will see."

"Just get in the boat." The man repeated louder. She smiled again and shook her head. Then she stepped towards and jumped into the water. The man glanced around again, shaking his head. "Karen... I swear..."

Vic rolled his eyes as he listened to them. What a couple of stupid losers, out on the docks in the middle of the night, jumping into the water when it was freezing. Really, it was just about the stupidest thing he'd seen. He glanced out the window again and his eyes widened. The man was bent over, kneeling on the docks with his eyes on the water. And circling in the water just below him was a large whitetip shark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, at the time of posting, there are 8 chapters done. I will post a chapter a day for all of Shark Week. After that... I hope to get out a chapter a month until it's finished. XD But knowing me... maybe it'll be finished by next Shark Week. 8D


	2. Death Before the Mast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How do you think your sister's doing with the boys?" He asked finally, breaking the lull.
> 
> Karen laughed again. "Claire's so going to regret saying yes when your parents got too sick."
> 
> "I feel worse for the boys." Scott said gravely. "She's a real stick in the mud."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SHARK WEEK! I'm in the middle of a nervous breakdown but at least it's shark week and I can post chapter 2! 8D
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in keeping me company while I type (or just pestering me on a daily basis), I have a Discord chat server.  
> <https://discord.gg/JGgeWp3>  
> Chas#0048
> 
> Also my Zachwen buddie BeeBee made a server called Jurassic Shipping! 8D For Zachwen chatter!  
> <https://discord.gg/CyPvpYR>  
> 

His laughter filled the early morning air. The sun was just peaking over the horizon and it made the water glow. It always took his breath away. They rented a sailboat and came out there every year, to celebrate their anniversary. This one was number 9 and it still felt like the first. They'd been high school sweethearts and married right after graduation. He knew about her from the beginning and he never cared. It was just a part of who she was and he loved every part of her. "Kaaaaaaren." He strung out her name in a singsong voice as he leaned over the edge of the sailboat. He dipped his fingers into the water and swirled them lazily along the surface, creating tiny ripples. "Honey, come on out. I got breakfast ready."

She was gliding through the water around and under the boat in circles just as lazy as her husband. At almost 10 foot from snout to fin, she was over half the size of the small sailboat. She was a dark gray color with white tips on all her fins, hence the name whitetip shark.

"Karen." He leaned closer to the water and dipped his hand in lower. She slid through the water just under him and he reached out to touch her dorsal fin. "I know it's been a while, honey, but you need to eat. It's not good for the pup."

That stopped her. She circled around again and poked her triangular head out of the water. She blinked her dark eyes at him and breathed out loudly, exhaling droplets of water up towards her husband's face. She kept her mouth open.

He wrinkled his nose and rubbed his hand over his face, wiping off the water. "I'm not feeding you with those teeth." He said in a warning tone and wagged a finger at her. "Last time I needed stitches."

She nodded her head and dipped back below the surface. A few moments later and human fingers breached the water seconds before her upper body emerged. She stretched her hands above her head and stifled a yawn. "That was an accident." She said with a sweet smile, exposing all her pointed and sharp teeth that didn't belong in a human mouth. "I've never bitten you on purpose." She grabbed the edge of the boat and pulled herself up a bit, until just her tail below her rather large and protruding belly was in the water. "Come on, Scott!" She whined. "Just 10 more minutes!"

He laughed and stretched out on the deck beside her. "Fine, fine." He breathed out. "10 more minutes."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Deal. So..." She mused and tilted her head. "While I was swimming... I had a name idea..."

"Name?" Scott glanced sideways at her. "Thought you didn't want to name her until she was born."

Karen shrugged and leaned closer. "I just had a feeling. Brooklyn. Or Rosalie."

Scott nodded his head. "Yeah, those are nice."

She leaned her head on her palms. "Have you thought of any names?"

Scott folded his hands under his head. "Alice, I guess, is nice. Joanne, Hailey."

Karen smiled and nodded. "Kimberly."

"Tanya."

"Evangeline."

"No." Scott shook his head right away at the suggestion.

Karen frowned and pouted. "Why not?"

Scott let out a lighthearted laugh. "We are not naming our daughter something I can't spell."

She giggled. "But it's really pretty. We'll learn how to spell it together."

"Too much work." He said and waved his arm. She giggled again and they were silent for a moment, just listening to the waves lapping against the side of the boat. "How do you think your sister's doing with the boys?" He asked finally, breaking the lull.

Karen laughed again. "Claire's so going to regret saying yes when your parents got too sick."

"I feel worse for the boys." Scott said gravely. "She's a real stick in the mud."

Karen sighed deeply. "I wish it wouldn't take an excuse to get her here."

"Claire?"

Karen nodded her head. "We were so close when we were younger. We used to swim together, all the time before. But then..." She sighed again and leaned against the boat.

Scott rolled over on his stomach. He reached out and touched her cheek gently. "You know she just wants to be a normal human." He said softly. "And you know I don't mean it like that." He added quickly.

"I know, I know." She nodded and leaned into his touch.

"You can't fault her for living her life the way she wants."

Karen pulled away from him and her eyes narrowed. "I can, too!" She snapped but there was no real venom in her words, just frustration. "I miss having someone to swim with." She lamented.

Scott nodded like he understood. He didn't really, but he tried as best as he could. "In a few years, you'll have Zach."

She nodded her head slowly and sighed deeply again. "I hope they take to it, I hope they don't resent it like Claire. I hope they accept it as part of who they are, part of who I am. I hate that they don't know." She sighed. "I hate that I have to keep it from them."

Scott shrugged a bit. "I'm fine with telling them. You're the one who said not to."

"I know." She breathed out. "I still think it's a good idea. You remember, I told everyone!" She whispered.

Scott laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I remember. We were like 5 or something, in kindergarten. And you walked in, new student, and told everyone you were a shark. Everyone laughed and thought you were crazy."

Her mouth dropped open. "I thought it was cool!"

"It was cool." He nodded. "And I remember the first time you transformed to finally prove it to me, when you were 13."

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse you! I was 11! I developed early!" She said smugly.

Scott rolled his eyes and laughed again. "Whatever. I'm not an expert on this stuff. That's your job. You told me 13."

"Yeah, for _most_." She emphasized. "But I developed _early_." She repeated. "Don't you remember? You were there!"

"It was a long time ago!" He said defensively.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed again. "We can tell the boys if you want to. As soon as we get home, we can show them. We can rent the boat again and take the boys out and you can swim with Zach before he gets his fins." Scott suggested. "I'll call the rental agency right now and we'll bring the kids."

"Swim with Zach…" Karen mused.

Scott nodded. "Gray, too, when he's older. And when the pup comes, we can show her."

Karen smiled and for a moment, allowed her mind to think on that, on how wonderful that could be. But she shook her head and snapped herself out of it. "No, no, no." She breathed out. "I think my parents made a mistake. If we're going to live in the human world, then we have to behave like humans and keep the secret. I talked, I told everyone!"

"Yeah, you did." Scott nodded his head. "Luckily only one crazy boy believed you."

She smiled and then sighed again. "I just don't know how they're going to take it."

"I knew it." The unknown voice came out of nowhere.

Karen immediately ducked down and Scott rolled over. He jumped up and put his arm out behind him, trying to shield his wife.

Standing on the edge of the boat was a man, looking around their age, with scuba gear. "I knew it." He mumbled again, his eyes looking through Scott, at Karen behind him. He held a large net harpoon gun in his hands.

Scott took a step forward. "Uh… hello?" He waved his hand, trying to get the stranger's attention. "Who are you? What are you doing on our boat?" They hadn't heard him. They'd both been so caught up in the moment, in each other, that neither had seen, heard, or smelled the intruder.

Karen pressed herself closer to the boat and tried to tuck her tail up under it. She couldn't shift back to human, not while being stuck in the water. Her only option was to shift back to shark, but she couldn't just disappear. She was certain this raving lunatic had seen her. But there was no way he'd seen her tail. She'd been half submerged the whole time. But why hadn't she noticed him? She bit her lip and glanced around. She could smell him now and his boat, just on the edge of the horizon, a few miles out. Shifting and swimming away was her only escape option. But she wouldn't leave, not when some crazy guy was with her husband. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. She wasn't a fighter, she was a runner. Well... a swimmer.

"They all called me crazy." The man said, ignoring Scott's question. "But I wasn't crazy. They're real. And I'll show them. I'll show them all."

"Sir." Scott lifted his hand. "You are trespassing..."

The man didn't seem to hear him, he didn't even see him. At that moment, all Vic Hoskins saw was the shark person, in the water. He'd seen her transform at the docks. He'd watched as their boat pulled away with her swimming around it. Then he quickly followed, keeping enough distance between their boats that they wouldn't notice him. And clearly they hadn't.

"Karen, run!" The man yelled before lunging towards Vic.

Vic didn't have time to think. He really hadn't been thinking at all since he saw her. He had one thing on his mind: _catch the shark person_. It never occurred to him that he'd have to go through another human to get to the shark. He lifted the harpoon gun and fired it. He hadn't really even aimed. He hadn't cared. This guy was between him and his prize. He didn't care how he got it.

The harpoon pierced Scott's heart easily and embedded in his chest. He fell to the deck, dead instantly.

What happened next happened so fast, Karen had no time to process. The second Scott died, the shark in her took over. She didn't even make a conscious decision to shift to shark. She just simply _was_ shark, propelling out of the water and onto the boat without any sense of preservation for herself or her unborn pup. She flopped across the deck, moving faster than a shark out of water should be able to. Her jaws snapped as she slid towards the human.

Vic stumbled back and landed on the deck with a thump. And she was on him in seconds. Vic lifted his hands to try to shield himself. He let out a scream as her teeth sunk into his fingers. The flesh was torn away like it was tissue paper. Pain shot through him but he didn't have time to spare. He had to get her to stop! He clawed at her face and stabbed a good finger into her eye. The shark was momentarily dazed and shook her head. Vic used the second reprieve to roll out from under her. He kicked with his feet and scraped along the deck. And then he ran into the body of the man. Vic glanced back and eyed the harpoon, still lodged in the man's chest.

The shark shook herself again and then was wiggling towards him, snapping. Blood was splashed over her teeth and snout and it wasn't all hers.

Vic swallowed and jumped up. He grabbed the end of the harpoon, put his foot on the body, and yanked with everything he had. The harpoon pulled free and he almost stumbled backwards. He quickly righted himself and turned towards the snapping shark. "Stop!" He said loudly as he lifted the harpoon over his head. But she kept coming. He thrust the harpoon at her. The end nicked her and left a red trail as blood pooled to the surface. But it wasn't deep and she didn't seem fazed. She was still coming and still snapping.

Vic lifted the harpoon again as she sunk her teeth into his leg. Vic flinched and bit his lip as he thrust the harpoon at her again. This time, the tip sunk into the soft fleshy tip of her nose. He wrenched the harpoon out and stabbed at her again. Again and again, as hard and as fast as he could, he stabbed at her. The last time, he managed to stick her right in her eye. Blood and viscera seeped out. He flinched and looked away, feeling like he was going to be sick. Or maybe it was the blood loss. The shark finally let Vic's leg go. He stumbled back and fell. He smacked his head and was disoriented for a moment. Vic closed his eyes and rubbed at his head as it swam.

After a few minutes, the pain in his head subsided and he stood up. He sighed and shook his head as he stared down at the two dead bodies. Two dead _human_ bodies. Because there was a very _human_ , very _pregnant_ looking dead woman laying on the deck. He hadn't meant to kill her. She just wouldn't stop. But at least he finally had his answer. There were more. He would find another.

The adrenaline of the fight had worn off and he could feel the pain in his hand, outweighing his leg. He held it up and looked at it. The ring and pinky finger of his left hand were missing below the first knuckle. It was still bleeding pretty profusely. He knew if he didn't stop it, he could pass out. He didn't need to be found on the boat. He glanced around the boat and found a towel. He tore it into strips and used his teeth to tie a tourniquet around his arm. Then he used another to bite on while he used a third to tie around the bleeding stumps. It hurt worse than anything in his life and for a moment, he thought he might black out. But he kept himself awake and shook himself. It would do for now.

He was disrupted from his work by a ringing. He stopped and glanced around. There was a cell phone sitting near the controls. Vic grabbed it and tossed it in the water. Next, he had to dispose of the bodies. That would be the easy part. Vic simply rolled them both over the edge and watched as they sank. The blood would attract sharks and other fish. Hopefully there would be very little of the bodies left in a few hours. The last thing he did was dump out the contents of a cooler he found and use it as a bucket. He washed as much of the blood off the deck as he could. Last thing he did was start the boat and pull down the sail. He used the last of the ripped towel to tie the throttle to the steering wheel loosely enough that he was certain it would fall off. The boat started cutting through the water, moving farther away. Then he jumped in the water and headed for his boat.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Her eyes narrowed into a glare that she directed at the phone. They hadn't answered. They promised her when she agreed that they would answer. No matter what they were doing or where they were at the time. They would stop and answer the phone. It wasn't the first time she had babysat. Well... actually it was. It was the first time she had both of them. She babysat the older one once, a few years ago, when there was only the one. But now there were two and she'd never been left alone with two and the baby wouldn't stop crying! "Zach! Please!" She snapped a bit louder than she meant to. But her head was pounding and she had no clue what to do. She was never agreeing to this again! _Ever!_ Especially since soon there would be three of them! She would never understand why her sister insisted on reproducing!

Zach was barely 7 years old. He'd just had his birthday a couple weeks ago. He walked into the room holding a bottle. "He wants his bottle, aunt Claire."

She nodded and waved at him, not looking up from the phone. "Yeah, yeah, can you get it for me?"

He held up the bottle. "I already did."

She glanced over at that and smiled. "Good boy!" She said, using a voice she would use with a dog.

Zach frowned and shook his head. "I'm not a dog, aunt Claire."

She blinked for a moment and shook her head. "I know that, sweetie. I didn't..." She stopped and looked away. She was horrible at this. She knew she was. She sighed deeply and looked back at him. "I'm sorry I'm so bad at this."

Zach shrugged as he set the bottle on the floor. He reached into the swing and pulled out his baby brother. He struggled for a moment but he was careful. Then he sat on the floor and cradled Gray in his lap as best as he could. He reached for the bottle and looked back at Claire. "You'll get better." He said, holding the bottle for Gray as he suckled on it hungrily.

Claire watched for a moment, marveling at how well Zach was at taking care of Gray. She sighed again and shook her head. "I don't think so." She admitted softly. "I'm not cut out for kids." Honestly, she had no clue why her sister was obsessed with the ocean and the whole shark thing. Karen had married a human and had kids. She was lucky to be living as a human, in the human world. Why did she need to leave in the first place? Claire just had no clue what was wrong with her sister. She'd give _anything_ and _everything_ to just be normal.

Zach pulled the bottle out of the sleeping baby's mouth. He set it on the floor beside him. "He fell asleep." He said, looking up at Claire. Claire stood up and helped Zach put Gray to bed. Which meant she watched as Zach set Gray in his crib

The next day, Claire again watched as Zach took care of Gray. She tried to help, but every time she tried to pick up the kid, he screamed. So she stuck to trying to clean and cook and make sure Zach had everything he needed to take care of Gray. It was just after lunch when the house phone rang. Zach had just gotten Gray to sleep and Claire had cleaned up lunch. She grabbed the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this the Mitchell residence?" An unknown voice asked.

"Yes." Claire answered.

"Scott and Karen Mitchell?"

Claire frowned. "Yes." She answered, getting a bad feeling. "They aren't here at the moment."

"Have you heard from them?"

The bad feeling only got worse as she listened to the man on the other end of the line talk. Karen and Scott hadn't returned the boat that morning as scheduled. The owner had located it, in the middle of the sea, farther out that they had discussed, and empty. There was no sign of either of them. No sign of anything and there were no leads. But there was an investigation, the man assured her, and they would be in contact the moment anything was found.

Claire hung up the phone, feeling numb. She stared down at it and her mind was blank.

"Aunt Claire?" Zach was suddenly there, looking up at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

Claire glanced at him slowly but she was still too numb to answer. She shook her head and looked down at the phone again. It was fine. Everything was fine. Karen and Scott had just... left the boat early and... changed plans and... just did something else. They were somewhere else, perfectly safe and alive and would call her any moment. _Any moment._

But they never called. Days passed and Karen and Scott were supposed to have been home already. Claire was supposed to have been home. But there still wasn't a call. Weeks went by and then months. She'd gotten the call that the investigation was being closed, that the case was dropped. They were being deemed as lost at sea. Zach kept asking questions and Claire didn't know how to answer. She just kept telling the kid that his parents were still out, having fun. Of course they would be back, any day now.

_Any day now._


	3. A Line in the Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I saw him." The man said gravely.
> 
> Owen threw his arm over his face, covering his eyes. "What are you babbling on about?"
> 
> "I saw him." Barry repeated, his voice just as dire. "When we were at the docks. You blew it off but I know I saw him!"

_10 years later..._

The three adolescent shark pups swam the length of the tank. They circled it lazily, swimming in a single file line. It was an odd occurrence, something that would never be seen in the wild, not with each being a different species. The lantern shark was less than a foot long and swam first in line. In the middle was a sawshark, about 3 foot long. The last was a blacktip reef, who was already almost 7 foot long. It looked like some bizarre eating chain as they swam, the larger eating the smaller and so on. They continued, around and around the tank. There was no sign of aggression between them.

"We received a report of some small sharks caught in some fishing nets." He said, standing back from the monitors and looking rather bored. "They were all a little... hurt in the ordeal. We brought them here to rehabilitate and study them. Any information we can learn about them might help."

"Do you plan to release them back into the wild?" Asked a second man, whose eyes never left the monitors.

"We're unsure as of now." The first answered. "They're all quite young and show signs of malnourishment. We're unsure if they could survive in the wild."

"Sad."

They stood in the control room of the large research building. It was the only building on the small privately owned island off the coast in the Sorna sea. The one wall of the small room was covered in screens, all displaying different angles of all the cameras all over the island. Several screens were along the coast, keeping watch on trespassers. A few were located in various rooms of the research building, all empty. But most of the cameras were pointed at the various tanks all over the island. All of those tanks were currently empty except for the largest that took up almost half the island by itself. The two men were watching the live feeds, both of their concentration on the few that showed that large tank.

One was dressed in a white lab coat and stood back, looking bored. He rolled his eyes at the other and shook his head dismissively. He hadn't exactly been happy when the other showed up unannounced. But he wasn't exactly in the position to turn the annoying man away.

The other man, dressed in a pristine business suit, had his full attention on the monitors. He had no idea about the looks and jeers directed at him. His excitement was too evident by the large smile on his face. "I've never seen anything like this! You said they were found together?"

The scientist rolled his eyes again. "Yes." He said, his voice holding more animation than his expression. "All very distinctly different species. The lantern shark alone is cause enough for alarm."

"Why?" The business man asked curiously.

"He's a third larger than a normal one." The scientist answered. "Lantern sharks are the smallest of the shark species. The longest one ever found was just under 8 inches long. They also naturally glow because they have these small glandular organs that appear as glowing spots on their bodies called photophores. Which is present in deep sea dwelling fish. Which they are." He tilted his head. "1000 or so feet under the surface. Also they're from the other side of the world. There's never been any spotted in the Sorna sea before, not on any records."

"Interesting." The oblivious man moved closer to the screens. "What about the other two?"

The scientist stared blankly for a moment. He really shouldn't be surprised. The man was a rich business man first, above all else. Or honestly, that may have been all he was. Why should he really know anything about sharks? Just because he was half one or whatever they really were. He breathed out and shook his head. This whole fake scheme was ridiculous. Being forced to parade around like he really cared about finding and helping these rare shark people. But Henry Wu wasn't in it for helping them, as the other man thought. That was far from the case. He'd been recruited by Vic Hoskins, after being shown a video of the very man he was now conversing with transforming into a rather large shark. Henry was intrigued, to put it mildly. Vic needed help, he'd said. He needed a scientist to help him. He was getting nowhere in finding more. He'd lucked into finding Simon Masrani. But he was more oblivious than Vic about everything.

Vic was in it for the money. Henry was in for the fame. And Simon was in it to simply find others like him, if they existed. He was adopted at a young age, having been found abandoned on a beach when he was barely 5. He could barely speak. He had no memories of any of it or of before. It wasn't until the first time he swam in the ocean on holiday with his parents when he was a teenager that he found out he wasn't exactly human. He transformed right there, beside their boat, and his mother had fainted. After the initial panic and Simon figuring out how to shift back, that's when his parents explained that they'd found him and adopted him. They had no clue where he'd come from. Or what he was. But they said they would always love him just the same.

Simon had spent years searching but found no trace. He honestly had no clue what he was even looking for. So he put all hopes behind him and instead joined in his father's business, where he excelled. He made his first million before his 25th birthday and by his 30th, he had his first billion. After that, he hardly paid attention. Money was just something he had a lot of. He could do anything he wanted. But what he wanted most... was to _belong_.

So Simon once again started looking for more like him. He lucked out when he happened across an old message board on the internet, of a fisherman who claimed his boat was attacked by giant shark people. The message board was long dead and in an archived state. But that meant little when Simon had unlimited funds. He got an old email address that led to an IP address that led to an old apartment and eventually, it led him to Vic Hoskins. He tracked the man down and showed him what he was without any hesitation. And he told Vic his plan to build a sanctuary, some place for them to be safe. He already bought an island and he could give Vic whatever the man needed and wanted to help find more.

"Dr. Wu?" Simon glanced back and wrinkled his forehead in concern.

Henry shook his head and smiled. "Yes, yes. Uh... the sawshark being found in these waters isn't unheard of. They're not very common but not exactly rare either. Their elongated snouts are lined with teeth, hence the name saw. They use it to slash into their prey or predators. Their snouts also have sensory organs that help with detection of smaller fish or squids hiding in sand. They usually stay in more shallow waters closer to the ocean floor."

"Any abnormalities?" Simon asked.

Henry shook his head. "None that I can find. Size seems average. It's hard to gauge his actual age but he seems in normal range."

Simon's eyes fell on the last one. "The largest is a blacktip reef shark?" He asked, glancing back.

Henry nodded. "Yes, she's a blacktip. They're classified as near threatened on the endangered list. Less common in the area than the sawshark, but still not unheard of. They stick mostly to coastal areas. They're named for the black tips at the end of their dorsal and caudal fins. They're very fast and energetic and can leap out of the water, usually spinning a few times, at speeds of 21 feet per second."

"Impressive." Simon said. "The flea is the best jumper in the world compared to its size. They can jump 220 times their own body length and 150 times their body height."

Henry stared at the man for a moment. "Yes. _Very good_." He said with a patronizing tone.

But Simon just smiled and looked back at the screen, not catching it. "They can jump around 30,000 times in a row and have an acceleration rate 50 times greater than a rocket blasting off."

Henry continued to stare at the man, unsure if he was just crazy with his random knowledge of fleas or… no. Henry was certain he was crazy. He cleared his throat and continued, mindlessly droning on. "They have relatively small eyes for their size and their gills are rather long. They usually pose little threat to humans unless food is involved. Then they become highly aggressive and will attack." He paused for a moment. "They're one of the few shark species that are highly social and are known to travel in large groups of all ages and genders. But in the case of an absence of males, females can undergo asexual reproduction..." He trailed off and turned away. He reached for a clipboard and stepped closer to a different row of screens. He actually wasn't doing anything. He was just growing tired of giving shark lessons to the man and hoped to chase him off if he appeared busy.

"Wow. Amazing!" Simon breathed out. "But you're sure they aren't... like me..."

Henry rolled his eyes and nodded his head as he turned. "They've been here a week now and we've been monitoring them closely at all times of the day. Their behavior is odd, but they've shown no signs of understanding when spoken to or even acknowledging our presence. They haven't transformed or done anything out of the ordinary, just nothing. They've given no indication that they're anything other than normal. Just a weird fluke in nature."

Simon breathed out and shook his head sadly for a moment. Another dead end. He was used to it at this point. But still, when he arrived and saw the oddity in the tank, he hoped. "What are their names?"

Henry glanced over at him. "They don't have names."

Simon spun around, his eyes wide. "They don't have names?"

Henry shook his head. "No."

"That's sad." He turned back to the monitors. "I will name them." He announced. Henry wasn't sure if the man was serious or not and Simon didn't give him a chance to question it. He left the control room and headed through the research lab. He was practically running by the time he was outside, weaving around the perimeter of the smaller tanks until he reached the largest one. Simon had never been around other sharks before, people or animal ones. At least not closely. He'd been to a few aquariums that had smaller common species like the sandtiger, nurse, zebra, and even blacktip sharks.

He slowed as the trio swam past. He smiled and waved and turned to follow, walking in time with them as they swam around. "Hello. I'm Simon." He said, waving again and smiling. "This is actually my island. I bought it and I created this place to help me find other people like me. I'm part shark, I guess. I'm actually not quite sure." He talked to them like he expected them to understand.

The trio of young sharks had slowed. The sawshark swam out of formation and towards the edge of the tank. Simon's smile widened and he knelt down on the pavement, not sparing a second thought to scuffing up his fancy suit. He stuck his hand in the water and the sawshark swam right by, inches from him. Simon smiled and reached, stretching his fingers out as far as he could to brush against the shark's fin as he swam by. "You're just so precious." He smiled. "I'm going to name you... Stiggy."

The tiny lantern shark zipped by, whipping his tail. He cut in between the newly dubbed Stiggy and Simon.

Simon got a closer look and noticed the black stripes under the slightly glowing yellow dots. He let out a laugh. "You're either very protective or needy."

The lantern shark zipped by again and whipped his tail harder and timing it perfectly to splash water up into Simon's face.

Simon wiped at his face and let out a laugh. "Feisty. You're Onyx."

The last one was the blacktip. But she hadn't come any closer. She stopped when the others did, but she circled slowly right there, in the center of the tank. She seemed almost nervous.

"Maisie." Simon said, nodding his head as he decided. "But don't be scared of me. I'm sort of like you." He said as he stood back up. He started pulling off his suit jacket.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

Henry Wu watched their naive benefactor talk with the sharks like the idiot he was. Then Henry watched as the man stripped down to almost nothing and jumped into the water. Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head. But he quickly plugged in a drive and recorded everything. Henry had no clue how the man could be so stupid.

It was clear to everyone who talked to Vic Hoskins. The guy was _crazy_ obsessed. He had no intent whatsoever of finding the shark people to help them. There wasn't a single molecule of altruism in Vic's whole body. His sole purpose was to exploit. He wanted the fame and money. He wanted to prove to everyone who laughed at him over the years that he wasn't crazy, that these weird, sick, twisted, mutant people were real! And that they needed to be destroyed for ruining his life! Simon Masrani was a freak accident. Vic had been speechless when the mutant tracked him down. And Vic was ready, right then, to smash the coffee cup he'd been drinking from into the guy's head, knock him out, and alert the media. But Simon confessed he knew nothing about his kind. He knew less than Vic had. And he had money! That was the most important part. He had all the money in the world and offered it to Vic to help him. Vic planned to use up everything Simon offered to him. And if in the end he couldn't find more, he would just use Simon himself.

The door slammed open and Vic Hoskins stormed in, making more noise than necessary. Henry didn't even glance back as Vic angrily marched right up to him. "Okay, where is he?" He snapped loudly. "I saw his boat."

Henry just pointed to the screen.

Vic's eyes widened. "What?! Why'd the fuck you let him in?!" He snapped loudly.

"He owns the island." Henry answered, watching as the oversized large whale shark flopped about in the tank. It was rather funny looking, Henry had to admit. The tank was designed and made to fit the whale shark. But it wouldn't hold a real one comfortably for any amount of time. Simon barely had room to turn.

Vic narrowed his eyes. "But I'm in _charge!"_

Henry smirked and glanced at him sideways. "Are you sure?"

Vic ignored the snide comment and crossed his arms. "What's he doing with them?"

"Said they needed names." Henry answered.

Vic shook his head. "They're animals. They don't need names." He mumbled. "What'd you tell him?"

"That they were found caught in nets." Henry explained. "And we're rehabilitating them for release."

Vic snorted and let out a laugh. "Yeah, that's funny. We're keeping 'em long enough to make sure they ain't freaks. After that, they're being dissected. Anything we can learn from 'em will help."

Henry nodded slowly. "I would learn more by dissecting Simon."

Vic shook his head. "I told you, the second they die, they go all fake human again."

"So you _say_." Henry sneered.

Vic glared at him. "Yeah, I fucken say! Plus, I like him sticking around. He's more worth it to us alive."

Henry tilted his head. "Until he gets in our way."

"When that happens, _then_ you can dissect him." Vic promised.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

It was still daylight for a little while longer. Daylight meant two things; work or beach. Work happened early in the morning, before the sun was out. They were on call at all times, being the fastest and most efficient coast guard rescue team in the area, but their official time usually started around 4 am. They made their rounds, answered calls, checked in with their base on the mainland. But mostly they stuck to the water. Their 25ft response boat was their second home and it was the fastest boat around. Mostly their calls were search and rescue. Sometimes they dealt in drug trafficking or illegal poaching. Most days, though, they just cruised around until it was time to go home.

Home involved a privately owned island. The waters around it were frequently visited by endangered species of sharks, it was reported. It was deemed breeding and birthing grounds and was closed off to the public as a sanctuary. No one was allowed in or around the waters, except for the coast guard. And the man who privately owned it, of course. But he hardly visited. He bought it many years ago and pretty much left it in the care of the current school that called it home. It was meant to be a safe haven for any of their kind that wanted it.

Work for the day was done, unless they got called. So it was beach time. Which meant they laid on the beach, usually dozing in the sun, until it was nighttime. Sometimes they slept in the small cluster of huts located in the center of the island. But usually, they just stayed on the beach, the closest to the water they could get without actually being in it.

"I don't like it, Owen." He stepped up beside his friend, his brother, and blocked the sun, shrouding the sleeping man in shadows. "I have a bad feeling."

Owen opened his eyes and squinted in the dark. "Go away, Barry." He lifted his arm lazily and waved it.

"I saw him." The man said gravely.

Owen threw his arm over his face, covering his eyes. "What are you babbling on about?"

 _"I saw him."_ Barry repeated, his voice just as dire. "When we were at the docks. You blew it off but I _know_ I saw him!"

Owen snorted and threw his arm off dramatically. He jumped up and brushed the sand from his bare chest and shorts. He had filled out nicely in the years since the run in with the very man Barry spoke about. They both had. Tall, broad shouldered, and muscular, they turned heads everywhere they went. Owen shook his head as he looked out at the horizon. There was nothing but water, no matter what way he looked. "You imagined it."

Barry narrowed his eyes. "I know that man's smell anywhere. You would, too, if you weren't so careless."

Owen rolled his eyes and stepped away from his friend. "You worry too much." He said nonchalantly.

"And you don't worry enough!" Barry snapped, following and falling into step with him.

"Because you worry enough for both of us." Owen said with a laugh. Barry narrowed his eyes and reached out to stop his friend. He pulled Owen back and forced him to turn to face him. He opened his mouth but never got to finish.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"

They stepped apart and turned just in time to see the teenage redhead literally fling herself at Owen. Owen caught her easily and swung her up into his arms. He let out a laugh and twirled her around. "Echo, you're getting too old to do this."

"Never!" She giggled and held onto him tightly.

Barry let out a laugh and shook his head. "Like you would ever really tell her no."

Echo giggled again as Owen slowed and set her down. She bounced on her feet and waved at Barry. "Hi, uncle Barry!" She was dressed in a loose sundress and she spun around, letting the skirt twirl.

"Hey, kiddo." Barry reached out and ruffled her hair.

She ducked away and darted down the beach.

"Echo, where are your sisters?" Owen called after her.

"Right here." Three other girls, the same age, walked towards the men. The four were sisters, born at the same time. But they didn't exactly look identical. Delta was the tallest of the four, with long brown hair she usually kept in a ponytail. She was also the strongest and wouldn't be caught dead in a dress. Charlie was the shortest and most soft spoken, with light blonde hair she kept shoulder length. She was the fastest of her sisters on land. Blue had short black hair with a stripe dyed blue. She was the fastest in water and only an inch taller than Charlie. But she was the leader amongst her sisters. She was the one that all looked up to, so to speak. She was the fiercest and would fight anyone to the last of her breath to defend her family.

"We just didn't run like idiots." Blue called loudly as the group walked closer.

Echo spun around and stuck her tongue out. In many ways, Echo was still very much childlike. She still enjoyed dolls and her favorite toy was a stuffed fish plushie. She had an innocence about her beyond their 14 years and everyone would admit that she was spoiled. But she had a heart just as big as her curly red hair that made her seem taller than Delta.

Delta stuck her tongue out right back and wagged her head. Blue glanced sideways at her and frowned. Charlie just giggled.

"Hungry!" Echo called. "Now!" She stamped her foot impatiently in the sand.

Blue crossed her arms and shook her head. "Sorry, dad." She breathed out, looking up at Owen. "How was work?"

Owen shrugged. "Fine. Nothing special. Just another day."

"Oh yeah?" Delta tilted her head. "Then why does uncle Barry look like a crab pinched his pectoral fin?"

Owen pushed in between Charlie and Blue and wrapped his arms around all three of them. He squeezed them against him and started walking them away. "Uncle Barry _always_ looks like that."

"HUNGRY!" Echo called again. "RIGHT NOW!"

Owen glanced at the sky. It was still darkening and the moon wasn't quite out yet. But it was close enough. "Alright, alright." He called, letting the other sisters go. He stepped away from them and clapped his hands together. "Into the water with all of you!"

"Yay!" Echo screamed and immediately ran towards the water.

"Echo!" Charlie took off at a run after her. "Take your dress off first! I'm tired of sewing up your ripped clothes!"

Owen let out a laugh as he watched them all run towards the water. He turned his back as they started to undress and he looked at Barry. "You coming out tonight?"

Barry averted his eyes as well and shook his head. "No. I'll stay and guard the island."

Owen let out a laugh. "That's Lowery's job. Come out with us tonight."

Barry shook his head again. "Lowery can keep watch over the surveillance cameras and satellite scanners. I'll keep my eyes on the beach."

"Dad!" Delta called from the water's edge. "Echo already sharked up and swam off. Blue's following."

Owen shook his head and waved his arm. "I'm coming, Delta. Go ahead." He looked back at Barry. "Fine. Suit yourself, brother. We'll bring you back some dinner." He turned and headed after Delta.


	4. Drowning in Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He felt the waves pull at him. The sea... is calling... to me... And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fin of a shark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still going through a nervous breakdown. Still chugging away.

The moon danced across the water's surface. Danced was an adequate term. It was like a waltz between the sea and the moon, the reflection a harmony spurred on by the music of the lapping waves. The moon had barely risen. In less than an hour, it would be brighter, higher, and the dancing more playful. The temperature would drop a few degrees and the wind would blow and the night would call to him, like it did every night for years.

He would close his eyes and swear he could hear voices in the wind, calling to him. He felt it. All around him. In the sand beneath him and the water lapping at his toes. That's all of him that had ever touched the ocean. Fear kept him confined to the beach. It wasn't even his fear! And he barely remembered a time before the fear. But he remembered when it started.

He'd been 7 when his aunt told him. He could barely remember before her. He tried. But it was like a fairy tale, like a story someone told him about his life. It was like it was someone else's life, like it didn't belong to him. He'd been 7 when his aunt told him his parents were never coming back, that they were dead. He'd been sitting on the couch, clutching his baby brother, and she'd been in tears.

"They aren't coming back!" She sobbed. "They're dead! Eaten by sharks!"

And he just stared. He was too young to comprehend what that meant.

She grew hysterical then and knelt down in front of him. She grabbed his arms as the baby started crying. "Sharks, Zach! Sharks _killed_ your parents! Ripped them to pieces! And your baby sister, too!" She'd shrieked. "Promised me, Zach! You'll never go into the ocean! _Ever!_ Promise me!"

"I promise." His voice shook as he made the promise.

He didn't understand then. He still didn't understand. But he didn't blame her. _That_ he did understand now. She had been young, not much older than he was now, and she was suddenly a full time parent. She had zero skills. She wasn't motherly or loving, not in a way a parent should be, not in the way Zach dreamed his parents had been. He didn't remember them very well. But his aunt tried. He knew she did. She tried as best as she could. She just wasn't a parent. But at least she kept them. She didn't abandon them or throw them into the foster care system where they would have been split up. At least Zach had his little brother.

Zach had practically raised Gray. Claire tried, but Gray just never took to her. He cried every time she tried to hold him. It got a little better as he got older. He would talk to her once he learned how and he always listened to her. He did what she asked. But Gray still went to Zach for everything and asked for his older brother when he was sick or hurt. He asked Zach for permission for things and for help. Zach never minded. Gray only knew Zach. He had no sense of loss over the parents he never knew. Zach filled the empty void he never let himself feel with Gray. Gray became his whole life, his child. Zach stopped being a brother the moment his parents died and became a parent himself, mother and father to his little brother.

Aunt Claire tried. She really did. And Zach never resented her for how she raised them. She kept food in the kitchen and a roof over their heads. And she did love them, in her own way. And it was enough. That's what really mattered. It was enough for Zach and Gray was all he needed.

Except for the voice that called to him _all the fucking time!_

He had a love hate relationship with the water. It had ruined his life, taken away the parents he couldn't remember and that Gray never knew. But also, there was just something about it. About the ocean that stretched out before him. He didn't know what. He didn't understand it. He'd never been in the water, in the ocean before. Never on a boat or swimming or diving or snorkeling. _Nothing._ And yet, it still called to him. He'd swum on land, in pools. He thought that might help quell the ocean's voice. It didn't really. It was different, the pool water full of chlorine that burned his eyes and made his skin itch. It helped to satiate the voice sometimes, for a little while. It seemed to quiet a bit. And it helped his heart hurt less.

He joined the swim team in middle school and had been in it ever since. Right from the start, he was the best. He held his breath the longest, swam the fastest, and had the best endurance. He won everything he ever entered. His bedroom walls were covered in ribbons, plaques, and trophies. Some had started to migrate into the hall and aunt Claire's office. Zach even thought Gray had stolen a few, saying he was so proud of his big brother-parent and wanted to display the awards with his own.

Gray wasn't athletic. He was far from it. He tried as best as he could during school board mandated gym classes. He knew all the rules to all the games. But the moment he picked up the bat or caught the ball or went to kick, uncoordinated Gray showed up and he just fumbled everything. But Gray was good at other things. He had an eidetic memory and could remember pretty much everything and anything. Facts like certain species of fish that when in a single gendered school, the oldest and largest will change gender; clownfish, gobies, moray eels, and wrasses. Or that certain vertebrate species can reproduce by parthenogenesis; lizards, snakes, birds, and sharks. Or that the longest dinosaur name was Micropachycephalosaurus and the shortest was Minmi. Stuff other people called useless and other kids made fun of him for. Gray didn't always pick up on those social cues. He didn't know when to shut up and just kept talking until he alienated everyone around him. Gray rattled off fact after fact and Zach couldn't help but think the kid could put the Snapple bottle cap writers out of business.

Gray tested out of every class he was ever put into and he had a tendency to correct teachers or other authority figures. He didn't understand that doing so was rude, that there was a time, place, and gentle way to go about correcting, if it was necessary. And it wasn't by writing a 10 page report on it and presenting it to the whole class in front of the offending teacher. Claire tried to explain it to him but Gray just couldn't process it. Zach shrugged, hugged him tightly, and told Gray just to be himself and that he would always be there for him. _Forever_. They would always have each other, no matter what happened.

Zach sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment. The voice was there still, beckoning him into the water. The pull had slowly gotten louder and worse over the last few years. The first time he'd felt it, he was 13. He thought maybe there had always been a feeling. But he'd always thought it was the fear that had been instilled in him since his parents death. But sometime around when he hit puberty, the pull changed. It went from fear to wonder and then to longing. It was getting harder and harder to deny this weird voice that called to him and the longing to answer.

Zach pushed his fingers and toes deeper into the sand and bit his lip, trying to distract himself. That night, it had been exceptionally strong and loud. So much so, that he'd gotten out of bed and walked, barefoot and in his pajamas, to the restricted part of the beach. It was a known breeding ground for the sea turtles and was off limits to the guests. But Zach was careful as he stepped across the sand. He kept his eyes down, looking for signs of hatchlings before each step. He breathed out and opened his eyes slowly. The moon was higher now. He had no clue how long he'd been out there. He'd gone to bed early because he was feeling restless. And then the next thing he knew, he was there, out on the beach. Zach turned and glanced at the resort buildings behind him.

Claire had moved after their parents' death. At the time, she kept saying it was just easier to uproot herself than her nephews. Everything was left to her. She owned the house _and_ the boys. So she got a job at the same resort that her brother-in-law Scott had worked at. Claire wasn't good at parenting. What she was good at was all aspects of business. A few advertising and cost cutting ideas got her promoted rather fast. Then new ideas and attractions and she was running the place before she was 30.

It was almost funny, the idea of her running a vacation resort on the beach. Zach always got the feeling her blatant hatred of the ocean came from more than just the death of his parents. Although, of course, that was reason enough. He just always felt that there was more to it. But he never asked and he never would. For the most part, Zach thought she was happy despite her life turning out nothing like she imagined it. He thought, at least. Sometimes it was hard to tell with her. The last few years, she'd started spending more time at work instead of at home. Gray didn't need as much supervision as he used to and Zach never really did. Work made Claire happy. Of that, Zach was certain. Work and her assistant, Zara.

Zach knew his aunt was dating her assistant. Claire had never kept her sexuality a secret from the brothers. She explained to them that love was love and it didn't matter who you loved. And she just happened to love her assistant. Zara was nice enough. The few times he'd met her, she and Claire would lapse into business talk. It was hard to imagine Claire relaxing enough to date anyone. But Zach wouldn't judge. Maybe Zara was into stuffy business women. Or maybe she was able to get his aunt to actually relax and turn off business mode.

Zach knew he was gay from the moment she explained what it was. From the moment she explained that mommies and daddies had babies together and that's where babies come from. But sometimes, babies had two mommies or two daddies and those parents used doctors to help make the babies. He was 5 when she explained it. Mommy had just told him she was pregnant and he was going to have a baby brother. But Zach was confused and didn't know what that meant. He asked but his parents both just smiled and said when he was older, they would tell him. So when aunt Claire came to babysit him, he asked her. And she told him. She even pulled out mommy's old pregnancy books and showed Zach diagrams of growing babies inside mommy bellies. She pointed to the one that she said showed how big his baby brother was. Then she held up her hands and showed with her fingers how big the baby was. And then she promptly explained in more detail about being gay.

Zach smiled as he remembered. It was silly to be so certain when he was so young. He knew that now. He wasn't even sure why he was certain. Maybe some weird way to try to connect with the aunt he hardly ever saw back then. But still, he'd been sure, for whatever reason.

"I'm gay." He'd told her one morning, after putting Gray down to sleep. "I like boys."

She laughed and ruffled his hair. "You're 9. You're too young to know."

He told her again when he was 13. "I'm sure now, aunt Claire!" He insisted loudly. "I kissed Jake and I liked it and he's my boyfriend and can I be gay now?"

She hugged him tightly. And then gave him a very detailed sex talk.

Zach shivered as he remembered the talk. It had been very detailed and included a trip to the adult store because she said a banana just wouldn't do. Props were purchased and when they got back home, the lesson continued with many very detailed demonstrations. Then he made it all the more worse by asking how she knew so much if she was a lesbian. Which prompted her to tell him how she dated and experimented with a few guys. And then she suggested Zach should do the same with a few girls just to be certain. Respectfully, of course. And the lessons turned towards female aspects.

Zach suppressed a second shiver and rubbed at his arms. The breeze had started to pick up again and the temperature had cooled a few degrees. He glanced up at the moon again and it was higher. It was later and he still had no sense of how much time he'd been there. He stood up suddenly and quickly and sucked in a breath. The feeling was stronger again, like a physical pull. He turned his back to the water. He had to force himself to do so and he swore he felt a dull pain radiate through him, starting in his heart. He clutched at his chest and struggled to breath for a moment. He closed his eyes and sucked in several breaths. It was silly! It was _so silly!_ He couldn't believe he was acting so dramatic!

And just like that, the pain was gone. He breathed out and straightened up. He tried to push all thoughts of the sea from his mind. He really needed to get back. He had no clue how late it was and he needed to attempt to get some amount of sleep. _Any_ amount of sleep. He was pretty sure he worked tomorrow afternoon. He needed to check his phone to be sure. And he'd left it plugged in on his nightstand beside his bed. Something he'd _never_ done before. He'd graduated high school a month ago and aunt Claire had gotten him a job as a bell boy at the hotel. It wasn't glamorous, but it was easy and the tips were nice. It would work for a while until he decided what he wanted to do with his life. He really had very little ambition when it came to schooling of any sort. He'd leave the college life to his little brother. He'd probably end up following Gray wherever he went anyways. Gray would get into some great school, Zach was sure. He would probably test out of high school, like half the grades he already had, and would leave for college early. Zach would petition for real guardianship of Gray and go with him. Gray would be too young to live in any dorms. He'd need a legal guardian wherever he ended up. Zach had mentioned it to Claire once, about a year ago. She'd smiled sadly, nodded her head, and promised to help with the process.

Zach shook his head and pushed those thoughts away as well. His mind was made up. He was going home and climbing back into bed and forgetting any of this had happened. He lifted a foot and took a step. Then another. His steps were small and slow and he had to force himself along. He kept reminding himself in his head that he had a job and he had to be responsible. And that meant going back home and getting sleep.

And then he stopped and looked back. He had no clue why he looked back. His eyes settled on the water again and he sucked in a breath. Then he just stood there as several more long minutes ticked by. It was just ridiculous! It was ridiculous that he was rooted to the spot and couldn't return home! It was also ridiculous that he couldn't just go for a measly short swim in the water! Just a couple minutes. Aunt Claire wouldn't have to know. He wouldn't tell her and there was no one out on the restricted beach to see him. He could just take off his pajamas and slip into the water. It was dark out and there was no one around to see him. He turned back to the water and breathed in deeply. He could smell the salt in the air and he felt his skin tingle. It was odd how fast his thoughts went from returning home to sneaking a swim. But the thought didn't occur to him. He suddenly had one track on his mind.

He _had_ to swim in the ocean.

_Just once._

And he had to do it right _now!_

The second that thought slipped into his head, Zach lost all control of himself. He had no conscious thought. He was just simply running towards the water with all his energy. Sand sprayed everywhere as his bare feet slipped and scraped across it. He stumbled for a moment and pain shot through him as something cut into the soft tissue of his foot. But he hardly spared a second. A broken shell or glass or something. He didn't care. A little cut wouldn't stop him. Besides, it didn't hurt that much and wasn't salt water good for cuts anyways? But he really had no awareness of anything around him but the ocean. Not until his feet touched the water. Even then, he didn't stop. He kept going until he was fully submerged. His oversized pajamas were soaked in seconds and made it a little hard to swim properly. He flailed for a moment before chucking it off. Then he wiggled out of the pants and dunked under the water. It felt great against his skin. His whole body tingled from the sensation.

He swam a few meters from the shore and stopped. That was enough. He'd finally swam in the ocean, breaking his promise to his aunt. Now just to turn around and…

He felt the waves pull at him. _The sea... is calling... to me..._

Just a little further out couldn't hurt. Just a few more minutes. A smile lit up his face as he flipped over on his back and floated. His eyes searched the sky, picking out all of the stars. It was so peaceful, so serene. He had no clue why aunt Claire hated it so much. There had to be something more than just his parents' deaths, hadn't there? People died in cars and planes every day and yet she still drove and traveled when needed. Shark related deaths were almost 1 in 4 million. He looked it up. He was more likely to die in some stupid way like getting struck by lightning or in a fireworks explosion than he was getting killed by a shark. Bicycle related deaths outweighed shark ones by 1,072 times in the last few decades. People were 33 times more likely to get attacked and killed by regular dogs than sharks.

Hell, in the ocean he was 3000 times more likely to drown than get eaten by a shark! So really, aunt Claire's fears of being eaten by sharks were just ridiculous! Zach closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in the way the water kept him afloat. He felt as if it was holding him up, like it was literally cradling him in an embrace. A few minutes ticked by. And then, a large clap thundered through the sky. Zach's eyes snapped open. The moon and stars were gone, covered by thick clouds. Zach faltered and flailed for a moment. He swallowed and his eyes widened.

The storm came out of nowhere. Suddenly, rain was pouring and the waves rocked him. Zach turned in the water and looked back at the shore. He was much farther out than he thought. He tried to swim but a sudden wave of water crashed over him and a current pulled him under. He surfaced long enough to cough out a mouthful of salty water before he was pulled under a second time. His lungs burned as he fought back every impulse to open his mouth. There was no way he was drowning the first time he was in the ocean! Zach kicked and thrashed with all his energy. He put everything he had into trying to get back to the surface.

And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a _tail_.

A _finned_ tail.

The caudal fin of a _shark_.


	5. Into An Unforgiving Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh god! He was going to be eaten by a shark just like his parents! He should have never broken his promise!

A shark!

_A shark?!_

Why the _fuck_ was there a _shark_ so close to the _beach?_ They didn't come this close! Not big ones, not to this beach. They hadn't before. Had it been caught in the storm, too? Was that possible? How? How was there a shark right behind or under or whatever of him? _Oh god!_ He was going to be eaten by a shark just like his parents! He should have never broken his promise! He closed his eyes and waited. There was no way he was fighting off a shark that big.

Minutes ticked by and he was still alive. He wasn't eaten by the shark and he was still breathing. The breathing aspect hadn't occurred to him yet but the not being eaten by a shark had. He opened his eyes slowly. His field of vision was different but that also didn't sink in. His eyesight was clearer and farther, and the color had gone. Hues of grays clouded his vision but he didn't notice. He turned his head slowly, the motion feeling weird. He was having difficulties turning his head too far, like his neck was bigger, the muscles there thicker. He caught the tail fin in the corner of his eyeline again. Just lazily swishing back and forth. What the hell? It's just floating there?

The pain in his foot sparked again and he thought maybe he could smell blood in the water. His blood. Was that possible? Had the shark been attracted by his blood? It was just a tiny cut! At least he thought it was. He didn't spare the time or even thought to look at it. Zach turned his head the other way and saw the lazy tail in his periphery still. He tried looking up and down and still saw it. It was like it was all around him. But that couldn't be, that didn't make sense. Unless he... Zach shook his head and tried to lift his hand to his head, intending to rub at his forehead. But he couldn't. He felt the appendage move a couple inches, but it was like the muscles were tight, they wouldn't move.

He tried to look down at his hands and saw the pectoral fins of the shark. That was it! That was the last straw. His mind couldn't process it anymore, couldn't process what he was seeing or what was happening to him. Panic took over at that moment and he went into a frenzy. He couldn't think anymore. All he could do was react. He kicked his legs, ignoring the pain in his cut foot and all sense of the fact that they didn't move up and down, nor did they move independently of each other. His legs moved as one, side to side, propelling him through the water faster than he'd ever gone before. Instinct alone drove him through the water, in the opposite way of the shark. _And the beach._ He moved into deeper waters, colder and darker. But neither affected him. He could still see all around him, different angles and vantage points, with monochrome colors. But it was much more than just seeing. He could feel the water around him. He could sense it, sense everything in the water around him.

He lost all sense as he fled. Only one thought consumed his mind, swimming. He had to get away, he had to fight to live! He wouldn't die like his parents! He had to liver Gray, to see him again and take care of him. Gray needed him! He was so focused on fleeing that he wasn't even sure if he were still being followed. He slowed and stilled in the water. He wasn't exactly tired. If anything, the flight had exhilarated him. He had never felt so great, so free, so alive! Never in his whole life! He opened his mouth and inhaled, ignoring for a moment the way the water rushed into his mouth without repercussions. He felt great and he hated the idea of having to return to the shore… where the shark was… his eyes widened and he turned in one fluid motion. There was no sign of the shark. He breathed out, exhaling the water from his lungs.

All too slowly, that's when the several things he had been ignoring came to him again. The way his body moved, the way his eyes were working differently, the way his vision was devoid of color, his lack of oxygen, the way his back itched like something else was there. The way his skin tingled in places and ways like it never had before. A million tiny little things he'd been ignoring since he set foot in the water and it took over his mind. _He_ was the shark. He was a _shark_. Some twisted dream, it had to be! Because there was no way he was a shark. There was no _possible way!_ It couldn't happen. He had to be dreaming or something… he closed his eyes tight. This was a dream. Any moment and he'd wake up, still in his bed, like he never left. He shouldn't have left. He had to work tomorrow. Well maybe he had to work. Maybe it was tomorrow. He had no sense of time. He just…

A shadow fell over him. It was a subtle change, the shift in light. He was still rather close to the surface, closer than he thought, and something blocked the moonlight that filtered down through the water. Zach glanced up. Circling above him was a shark. She was a female, with overly long pectoral fins and a white belly. He assumed like other sharks, she was countershaded. A darker color, usually gray, at the top that faded along the sides to the white of the belly. But it was hard to see her coloring from below, if he could decipher the color at all. Everything around him was shades of gray. Inwardly, Zach cringed. He didn't know if he was grateful for Gray's endless hours of shark documentaries. Zach never knew he retained any of it. But as she continued to circle and drop, moving closer to him, he noted the elongated slender build and caught a glimpse of what looked to be a darker gray along her sides that faded into the white of her belly. He'd bet that darker gray was more of a blue gray color. He knew what species she was and again, he wanted to roll his eyes at himself. She was a blue shark.

The blue shark lowered again and turned around. Zach had turned to the side slightly and could see her perfectly as she watched him. Then she started forward again. And Zach promptly freaked out again and swam away.

The blue shark didn't hesitate to follow. She zipped through the water behind him with ease, cutting through it with more grace than he did in his panicked state. She kept pace with him easily, the blue shark was one of the fastest species of shark, second only to a mako. Zach knew this and still he fled.

And then suddenly, as if from out of nowhere, there were three more sharks. Zach could sense them behind him, following. He was tiring and was out of options. He couldn't outswim them, blue sharks were fast. He'd glimpsed the newcomers and the largest one, with the dark hide, white belly, and dark stripes, was a tigershark, he was certain. Tigers were known both as the laziest and best swimmers among sharks. They moved slowly and sluggish most of the time in the water, but they had strong tails and when needed they could propel themselves in small short bursts of speed that could rival any of the other species.

He clearly couldn't fight four sharks. Another species he recognized in the bunch was a bull shark. Flat nose and stocky shape, the species was known for being extremely aggressive and having one of the strongest bites. The last of the group was a nurse shark. Most sharks were solitary creatures. There were a few exceptions but to see the normally docile nurse shark in a group of larger predatory sharks was unusual. At least as far as he knew. He wasn't an expert by any means. He didn't have Gray's capacity for or interest in learning or remembering. Honestly, he was a little freaked out about how much he suddenly realized he remembered. But he still thought it was weird that the smaller bottom feeder was with them.

So he couldn't run and he couldn't fight them. He had no chance. Some sharks were cannibals. Bull and tiger sharks he thought fed on smaller sharks. But he supposed, any shark that was hungry or desperate enough wouldn't be picky.

Seconds passed as all of the random facts swirled around his brain. His mind was so focused on the swirling facts that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, not that he really had any idea. But he suddenly found himself coming up on a large wall. A coral reef or a series of underground caves, he wasn't sure. He was just suddenly cornered. He pulled to a sudden stop and spun around, facing his pursuers.

But the three sharks had stopped as well. They had stopped about five feet away and made no indication of advancement or aggression. The blue shark bobbed her head. Beside her, the tiger opened her mouth, exposing her odd hook like teeth for a moment, and then closed it. The bull shark turned to the side, her head shaking as if annoyed. The small nurse shark broke apart from the pack as well. She slowly swam towards Zach and he didn't know why, but he wasn't afraid anymore. He was still confused and freaking out. He had no clue what was going on or if it was even real or some way too lucid dream. But he wasn't afraid of the four sharks anymore. He thought maybe they were making some sort of noise, maybe a form of language, like they were trying to communicate with him. He knew sharks didn't actually make sounds, not in a way like a dog barked or a hyena laughed or a whale sang. But somehow though, they were talking to him, in the way they moved.

The nurse shark swam up beside him. Zach flinched a bit but he didn't shy away from her. She paused, seemingly catching his subtle hesitation. Then she moved even slower, if it was possible. She reached out and touched his side with her rounded nose, brushing her odd whiskers against him. Barbels, he thought they were called, were used to help the bottom feeder shark find small prey in the loose ocean floor soil. Zach wasn't her prey. At least, he hoped he wasn't. He was pretty sure he wasn't. But he was probably hallucinating all this. So what did he really know anyways?

The nurse shark pressed up against him again and he wasn't sure what to make of the gesture. But he felt like it was friendly. She pulled away and the blue shark bobbed her head again. Then she turned to the side and seemed to almost be pointing. She swam a couple feet away and turned again to look back at them. Zach got the feeling that she wanted him to follow, that they all did. Zach nodded his head. The blue one swam off and the nurse nudged him again. Trying not to shake, Zach followed. The nurse shark stayed on his left side. The tiger shark swam to his right and the bull brought up the rear.

He was literally surrounded by sharks, boxed in on all sides. He wasn't sure what to think. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He was just a jumbled mess of confusion and he was trying not to freak out. But he still oddly trusted the sharks swimming with him. He glanced sideways at the nurse and she bobbed her head and brushed against him again. He glanced the other way, at the tiger shark. She was the largest of the bunch and so far, she hadn't made an impact like the others had. The bull shark may not have interacted with him, but her standoffish attitude and detachment left him a bit wary and scared of her. The tiger, however, hadn't done anything but attempt to smile at him and show off her teeth. Zach watched her out of the corner of his eye.

They swam a few lengths in silence before the tiger noticed his gaze. She slowed for a moment, paused, and tilted her head. Then she rolled over, flashing him her white belly, and she waved all of her fins at him. Then she spun around again and bobbed her whole body up and down. Zach could feel the excitement radiating off of her and he had no idea why. But watching her distracted him and he almost forgot where he was and what was going on.

Until the blue one stopped.

The whole group stopped as one. Zach almost didn't notice. He'd been so focused on the tiger shark, who's attention had likewise been on him. Until it wasn't and she stopped and faced forward. Zach turned and noticed the others, all stopped and facing forward. He stopped and glanced between them all, more confused than before. And then he smelled it. Smelled, tasted, felt it in the water around him. He sensed it in everything around him. That was the best way he could describe it. He felt it with every fiber of his being and he had no clue how or why. Why was this happening to him? _What_ was happening to him?

He let out a distressed whine. He hadn't even realized he did it. Or that he could. The blue shark turned to the side, looking back at him. Then she bobbed her head, turned back, and moved. Zach swam up beside her and forgot how to breathe again.

Several meters away, the ocean water clouded with a dark color, unmistakable because of the smell. There was movement in the swirls of blood and viscera. A large shark was wrestling a small minke whale. The whale was nearly twice the size of the shark and covered with seeping bite marks. It thrashed it's fluke as it attempted in vain to get away but the shark hung on. The great white shark shook his mighty head and the whale gave out a final note as it died. The shark pulled back and spit out a rather large chunk of still bleeding flesh.

Zach felt like he was going to be sick.


	6. Cresting the Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He paused, watching them. They moved so well, worked as a team. They'd really grown up, right under his nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... am... exhausted...
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in keeping me company while I type (or just pestering me on a daily basis), I have a Discord chat server.  
> <https://discord.gg/JGgeWp3>  
> Chas#0048
> 
> Also my Zachwen buddie BeeBee made a server called Jurassic Shipping! 8D For Zachwen chatter!  
> <https://discord.gg/CyPvpYR>  
> 

His senses were on the whale, on killing it as cleanly and swiftly as he could. It was the natural order of life and nature. Predator killed the prey. Hunting and killing the minke was no different than hunting deer, boars, turkeys, or whatever animals were available in the wild. Or fishing for catfish or trout or diving for oysters in the ocean. Food was food and he had his always hungry and growing girls to feed. He always made sure not to hunt the endangered critters and he kept far away from the other human animals. He also tried not to go after other sharks but sometimes the shark brain took over and food was food and what was a little cannibalism here and there?

The whale had been bigger than what they normally hunt. But they happened upon the young minke and it was already injured. It would feed them for a few weeks if they got it back to the island before other predators showed up. The whale, despite its injuries from what looked like a run in with a large trawler propeller, had raced off and fought hard. The group of sharks had given chase. Blue was the fastest, outswimming him and cutting in front of the whale. Echo shot forward with a burst of speed then and cut off the other side. Delta bit down hard on the whale's fluke and locked her jaws. Charlie hung back, keeping all her senses on the ocean all around them, watching for other predators.

He paused, watching them. They moved so well, worked as a team. They'd really grown up, right under his nose. He couldn't believe they were already 14. It felt like just yesterday that he trailed their pregnant mother across the ocean. He knew she was a purebred, he recognized her scent. He'd met her a few times before, over those earlier years. A few encounters that he wished he didn't remember. He'd been young and he suspected he might have been the father but that wasn't the only reason he followed her. She was one who hated her human half and spent all her time in the ocean, only coming out when forced. Spending so much time in animal bodies tended to make their kind feral. The animal brain just took over. And Owen knew what great white shark mothers sometimes did after giving birth.

He shook his massive triangular head, pushing the thought away. It wasn't the time to reminiscence. It was time for dinner. He zoned out as the shark brain took over. He had no clue when he lost the girls but he swore, one moment they were there, attacking with him, and the next moment, they were just gone. He wasn't worried though. He could handle the whale on his own and they could handle themselves.

He ripped off a large piece, severing the whale's spine and finally killing it. Blood gushed out of the open wound, clouding the water around him. He shook his head again, trying to dislodge the too large piece. He effectively spit it out and then turned towards it. He bit into it again at a different angle and bit the large piece in half. He chewed on it a moment before swallowing it mostly whole. It was a rather small bite for a shark his size but it would hold him over for now. Because now he needed to get the whale back to the island. Once they all had their fill, then he and Barry could work on getting it gutted and cut up and stored for the rest of the week.

He stopped as a high pitched, shrill whistle vibrated through the water towards him like sonar. They couldn't exactly talk. Sharks don't have any sound producing organs. Other than the oddity that is the barking swellshark, sharks made no sounds. They were the perfect silent killers. Even their scales had evolved to allow them to slice through the water with ghost-like silence. Sharks communicated more by body movement than anything. They tracked by scent, searching out prey and mates. But human sharks were different. While they couldn't form words in a human sense or other audible sounds in an animal kingdom fashion, they could emit these almost whistling sounds that vibrated through the water, almost like sonar.

Sharks had a tongue-like cartilage structure called a basihyal. It ran down their throats, helping in supporting the lower gill bones. In normal sharks, it was immobile. It was completely useless and probably only compared to and called a tongue because it looked flat and was a light fleshy pink color and laid at the bottom of a shark's mouth. But in the human sharks, the oddly named basihyal not-tongue was actually useful. Much like a human tongue, it could move freely. It wasn't enough to form words. Their mouths still weren't capable of creating actual words. But the odd whistles along with body language and their heightened sharky senses, as Echo called them, were enough to get points across. Plus their small family unit had come up with their own signals and whistles, almost like a form of language between them.

He turned his whole body around, already sensing the newcomer before he even saw him. The mako was shaking, Owen assumed, in fear. It was almost comical to see a shark shaking like that. He was a rather good size. He looked healthy and strong, meaning his human body was as well. The fear turned Owen's heart. He'd met a few animal people who didn't know they had an animal heart. All fish and water mammals. He knew very few non-water ones. He didn't exactly spend a lot of time roaming the land, searching for others. The very few he met were in small, secluded cities, home to only those who were ones themselves or related. And they all knew what lurked in their bloodlines.

But this poor mako, Owen would bet his left pelvic fin that this was the first time the mako shifted and that he was completely freaked out and it was totally unexpected.

Blue let out another whistle, sharper this time, and shook her head. _No talk._ She communicated.

Owen nodded his head. That much he understood. He also could tell the mako was a halfbreed. That in itself wasn't an excuse to be clueless. Owen had met more purebreds in the ocean, stuck in their animal forms, unaware that they were even half human. The mother stays in animal form too long, going feral, giving birth, and abandoning their offspring. Lots of shark species were notoriously bad parents. He'd even heard of purebred babies being born to animal people while human and then abandoned, to later be adopted and giving their new family a real surprise. He arched his back slightly, turned back to the whale for a moment, then spun back to the girls. _Take dinner._

The four sisters nodded their heads in turn and zipped off towards the whale. Charlie had paused and brushed against the mako gently. Echo saw and clearly not wanting to be forgotten, darted in and practically smacked into the slightly smaller shark.

Owen shook his head and snapped his jaws at her as she passed. She burst off to join her sisters. He turned back to the shark. He had to give the mako credit, he still hadn't fled. Makos were the very fastest of sharks and easily outpaced great whites by 10 miles per hour. Owen might have been able to catch him, depending on how good a swimmer the kid was before. The newly shifted didn't always immediately understand all the finer points of shark life and what their new bodies were capable of. He lifted his head and pointed upwards with his nose. Then he looked back at the mako and tilted his head to the side.

The mako had stopped shaking as much. He looked past the great white, to where the girls were crowding around the whale carcass. Owen swam closer. The mako looked like he was trying hard not to flinch away as the great white pulled alongside him. Owen easily dwarfed the smaller shark. At just over 18 foot long, Owen was a record holding male. He'd been photographed a few times, much to Barry's chagrin, and was once featured on a documentary about great white shark migration patterns. The mako looked to be slightly smaller than Echo's 11 foot stretch. Owen would guess about 10 foot. It was a good size for a mako and the kid might grow a bit more.

He bobbed his head again before he pumped his tail and started ascending. The mako was quick to follow and the two sharks breach the surface at the same time. Owen turned, facing the new shark, and half shifted. His whole form shrunk first. Then the dark gray skin on his triangular head lightened and turned to skin. His nose flattened, his neck thinned, and a mop of golden brown hair was suddenly plastered to his very human looking forehead. The last to change were his eyes, from the dead, black looking, all consuming orbs of the ocean's finest killer to the bright, shining green eyes of the living embodiment of Adonis. The dark gray skin of his dorsal fin still poked out of the water as he floated on his belly, looking like some prankster's prop.

He lowered his tail and lifted his human half out of the water. He shook his head, sending water droplets flying. He breathed out loudly and tilted his head to the side, popping his neck. "Damn. Whale did a number on my spine."

As if on cue, the whale carcass popped to the surface with the girls right behind.

Owen turned and waved his arm at them. "Good job, girls!"

The tiger shark lifted her head out of the water. She bobbed it and wiggled, her whole body moving and creating tiny ripples in the water. The blue shark shook her head and the bull shark looked bored. The nurse was closest to the whale and let out an impatient whistle.

Owen waved again and let out a laugh. "Okay, okay. Charlie's right. You girls get going. Barry should be keeping watch on the beach. He can help you. Tell him we found a pup and I'm bringing him in slowly. I'll take him to the lagoon."

Blue nodded her head and turned. She snapped her jaws at her sisters. Then they all lined up behind the carcass and started pushing it.

Owen turned back to the mako. The shark looked more at ease. He still looked lost and confused and Owen didn't blame him one bit. But at least the fear was gone. Owen held up his hand and reached out. The tips of his fingers brushed against the slick rubbery hide and the shark didn't pull away. Owen gently rubbed tiny circles along the tip of the shark's nose. Their noses were highly sensitive and it was a way to calm a shark, petting it's nose. Although he wouldn't recommend attempting to do it to anyone. Most people couldn't get close enough to pet a shark without losing an appendage or two.

The mako exhaled a burst of water over his gills, as if sighing in contentment.

Owen smiled again and shook his head. "Let me introduce myself." He dipped his head. "I'm Owen Grady. I'm a great white shark. You understand, right? Just… nod your head." He pulled his hand away and mimicked a nod with it.

The mako nodded his head.

"Okay, good. So… my family, my girls and my brothers, we live on a private island. Restricted waters because it's documented shark breeding grounds." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not exactly, but we faked some videos of the water around the island being full of sharks… which it technically is… but yeah. I assume you're pretty confused and scared and this is your first time going shark."

He nodded his head again.

"You really had no idea?"

He shook his head.

Owen exhaled loudly and shook his head. "Okay. Come back to the island with me. I'll help teach you how to shift back and control it. Then we can talk a bit and later, I can take you home, okay?"

The shark nodded again.

"Okay. I'm going to shift back because I can move faster in full shark mode, okay? Stick close to me. Near the beach, there's an unground channel that leads to this secluded lagoon at the center of the island. It's nice and calm and private. No one around to jump out and surprise you." Owen sighed and shook his head. "You met my girls. They can be really friendly. And really judgemental and overprotective. And nosey."

The shark just stared at him.

"Just come on." Owen waved before diving down into the water.


	7. To the Heart of the Raging Oceans’ Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Go, Echo!" Owen snapped. "Now!"
> 
> "Daaaaad!" She strung out the word as she threw up her arms and spun around towards him. "I just wanted to say hi."

At first, he was scared. He was terrified. The moment he realized there was blood everywhere around him in the water and that he wanted the blood… and watching the vicious shark tear through the large whale like it was nothing… and at that moment, Zach prayed he would die. But then, it got weirder. And it just kept getting weirder, as he watched everything play out before him. The shark… the man… mermaid… merman… mershark. Mershark? Was that a thing? _How_ was that a thing? It _couldn't_ be a thing. But then the man was suddenly touching him. And that was weird. And suddenly all Zach could think about was how hot the guy was. And how big and perfect his teeth were. And maybe he wanted to bite him. Or he wanted the guy to bite him. He had no clue if that was weird or not. It seemed weird. Was it weird?

He honestly wasn't sure about anything anymore. Was this still his life? Did he exist before he stepped into the ocean? Was this the dream? Or was _that_ the dream? Were Gray and aunt Claire real? Was he? Was the hot shark man real? He wasn't sure what he wanted the answers to be.

The larger shark was swimming lazily beside him, seemingly in no rush. Zach wasn't exactly in a rush himself. He wasn't really in much of anything. But he had the urge to swim. To _really_ swim. Before, he was swimming in terror, from what he thought was a shark following him. And then what was really a group of sharks. But the hot guy with the pretty eyes and great smile and sharp teeth that could melt his knees… his fins… whatever… anyways, he'd called Zach a mako. And Zach knew a few trivia facts about makos, thanks to Gray. And the biggest was that they were the fastest sharks, clocking in at bursts of speed of upwards of 46 miles per hour. The fastest great white shark on record was only 35 miles per hour. Zach was the fastest on land, in swimming pools at his meets. And he wondered if he just might be the fastest in the ocean, at least against his new friends. If he could call them friends. He oddly felt like he trusted them. All of them, but especially the extremely hot guy that rubbed his nose.

Zach was thinking about it too much. He slowed and shook his large head. He really didn't want to think about any of this too much. He just wanted to have fun. Besides, it was still the first time he'd been on the ocean. And the second aunt Claire found out, he was going to be grounded until Gray left for college. So he might as well enjoy himself. Unless the giant shark shifting human swimming beside him was secretly evil and a cannibal. But the thought was dismissed before it was even fully formed. He trusted the group of strange sharks that were strangers.

He zipped off, taking off like a torpedo through the water, leaving behind a trail of bubbles and a stunned looking great white shark. The larger shark hesitated a moment, accidentally giving Zach a bigger head start that he didn't need. Then the white shark shot off after him. But Zach easily outpaced the larger shark. He stretched his fins, so to speak, and swam as fast as he could for a short while. But he eventually slowed down enough to let the other one nearly catch up with him. Owen nipped lightly at his tail. The teeth barely grazed his thick skin. Just enough that he could feel it. Zach slowed again and finally let Owen catch up to him. The shark bobbed his head and turned a bit. Zach quickly followed. It had been dumb of him to race off. He had no idea where to go. Of course he'd gone in the wrong direction and nearly passed the island! But still, it was fun!

They swam for a while until suddenly, an island loomed in front of them. Well, the bottom of an island. Zach started towards the surface, wanting a better look. But Owen bumped into him and shook his head. Then he headed towards the underwater part of the island. The island was huge, much bigger than it looked underneath the water. Owen dived deep and led him towards a small cave. He swam through and Zach followed. It was dark inside and the tunnel was wide enough that the two sharks could comfortably swim side by side through the twists and turns. They followed until the tunnel was suddenly not so dark anymore. It was a slight shift, the light still very dim. But they swam out of the tunnel into the bottom of a small body of water.

The moon's reflection was shining above them on the surface. Zach slowed and stared at it. He'd never seen the moon from below the water's surface. It was beautiful. The other shark bumped into him lightly and together they swam towards the surface. Owen breached and immediately shifted back to the mershark or whatever form. It was quick, so fluid. Zach hadn't even noticed. Just one moment the giant shark was beside him, practically dwarfing him. Then the next, he was floating there, with his pretty whatever colored eyes that seemed to glow and his more normal human looking teeth and his perfect hair wet and plastered to his forehead and just _wow_.

Owen wasn't the only beautiful thing that Zach noticed as he looked around. He did like the way the moon lit up the weird shark man but as he took in everything, he swore the breath was sucked from his gills. The lagoon wasn't too big. Maybe a bit more than twice Owen's length, Zach would guess. It was surrounded by trees and bushes on three sides, reaching high into the sky. The fourth side was a rock wall with a waterfall cascading over. Flowers sprouted up in a few places around the edge and Zach wondered what colors they were. Everything was still in monochrome. He hoped that wasn't some permanent thing. He hoped the whole shark thing wasn't permanent. Because he was pretty sure that he wasn't dreaming now. Somehow, some way, this was real. This was _all real._

Owen waited a few moments, watching as the young shark gawked at the lagoon. He had to admit, he sometimes was completely taken away with it as well. He cleared his throat and the shark turned towards him. "Okay." Owen clapped his hands together. "First thing, we need to get you back to human. The first time can be hard but it'll get easier. And it's not an every time thing, okay? It's not like every time you're in the ocean now, you'll be sporting gills. You can mostly learn to control it. With time and practice." He paused and tilted his head. "Did you get all that?"

The mako nodded his head.

Owen smiled. "Okay." He swam closer and started circling the younger shark. "The first time is the hardest. I'm going to touch you, okay?" He watched as the shark nodded his head before reaching out and touching his dorsal fin. "This is part of your spine. The vertebrae here like… elongate and change molecular structure, becoming the fibrous cartilage of the fin." The shark just stared at him and Owen let out a laugh. "I know, I know. But it makes it easier to think about it if you equate it to the human equivalent… like… the easy ones. Eyes and teeth. Still eyes and teeth, right? Obvious. Then you got your arms; those are your pectoral fins on either side." He touched one of them. "Your legs are a bit harder to process. The caudal fin connects and twists them. But they're still there. Pelvic fins are part of your hip bones. Anal fin… uh…" He cleared his throat and shrugged. "Yeah uh… well… everything correlates. Your human body and your shark body. That make sense?"

The shark was still for a moment, watching Owen. His eyes almost seemed to glaze over but he nodded his head eventually.

Owen let out another laugh. "It'll get better, I promise. Just concentrate for me, okay?"

Zach nodded his head again and closed his odd eyes. The sensation was weird and he recalled how sharks didn't exactly have eyelids and therefore couldn't have really closed his eyes. But most sharks had this translucent nictitating membrane that slid over their eyes, protecting the vulnerable orbs when they bite their prey. It was the same thing cats had, that gross looking inner eyelid that wasn't really an eyelid. Zach wanted to roll his new weird eyes at himself. Seriously, why couldn't he retain all the useless facts his little brother had learned about that stupid war for that dumb history test last year that Zach had failed? Gray had spent an entire week studying the advanced material, trying to help Zach and still, nothing had been retained. But all the stupid shark facts? Zach couldn't turn off his brain.

Whatever. The point was that he closed his eyes. Membrane or eyelid, it didn't matter what it was called. Both had the same effect and he could still blink or close his eyes. Great whites, on the other hand, lacked both. Instead, to protect their eyes, they had to roll them back into their heads. Zach wondered what colors those hot eyes were.

He concentrated. He breathed in deeply, sucking air through his gills. He imagined his lungs filling with air, not water, and exhaling it through his nose. He imagined his human heart pumping blood throughout his body and down to his toes and back again. That first time changing back was a little jarring. He felt his legs split first. Then his left arm shifted and he was finally able to scratch his nose, which was still very much shark. He breathed out loudly, exhaled the water over his gills roughly.

Owen laughed softly. "Easy." He reached out and grabbed Zach's hand. He intertwined their fingers together and squeezed. "The first time is always the hardest. It will get easier. Focus on me, on my touch. Breath out evenly and calmly. Just… relax and give in. Let your body do the work."

Zach wasn't sure exactly what happened after that. He listened to Owen's words, concentrated on the man's touch and smell, and suddenly he felt lighter. His body began to sink a bit and he kicked his legs, separately, and started treading the water. He opened his eyes and shut them immediately and ducked his head. Everything was just so bright and so clear despite the dark hour. And all the colors were back.

Owen cleared his throat. "You'll uh… notice… a few… changes." He said. His voice sounded awkward for the first time.

Zach opened his eyes again, squinting a bit, and looked at Owen. The moonlight seemed to dance off the man's golden brown hair and slightly bronzed skin. Defined cheekbones and strong jaw. Water droplets still clung to his skin and slid down and Zach swallowed as he stared at the man who clearly was trying not to look at him. "Is something… wrong?"

Owen shook his head, still not looking at Zach. Then he lowered himself and dunked his head under the water. He surfaced and his dorsal fin was gone, fully human. He shook himself and wiped the water from his face.

"Owen." Zach said the name softly, a bit of fear sneaking into his voice. Owen snapped back, like he'd been bitten. He turned to face Zach with his eyes wide. Zach flinched back at the reaction but then he let out a gasp. Owen had the greenest eyes he'd ever seen! And he swore they were glowing. "Wow." He breathed out.

Owen cleared his throat again and looked away again. "Changes." He repeated. "You'll experience… changes…" He said, nodding his head.

"Is something… wrong?" Zach asked nervously.

Owen closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed heavily, his whole body moving with the motion. "No… nothing is wrong." He answered finally. "You're just… a lot older than I expected."

Zach frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. He opened his mouth slowly. "Older?" He repeated. "Older than… what?" He asked, confusion.

Owen breathed out again and lifted his head. "Most pups first transform when they're 13. Sometimes sooner, but hardly later. And you _certainly_ aren't 13."

Zach shook his head. "No. I'm 18." He answered. Owen stiffened and turned his back on Zach. Zach blinked at him, confused by the reaction But honestly, he was confused by everything that had happened in the last few hours or days or however long it had been. "Pups?" He asked after he was certain Owen wasn't going to talk anymore.

The prompting seemed to bring the man out of his stupor. He turned swiftly and nodded his head. "Pups. Baby sharks. Well…" He tilted his head and shrugged. "Kids. Kinda includes any age under 18 really."

"Oh." Zach nodded his head. He knew that, actually, that shark babies were called pups. "So… uh… people… or whatever… like us…" He prompted and stopped.

Owen nodded his head and looked at Zach again. "Yeah. Puberty and the salt water causes the first change."

"Ocean water." Zach repeated.

Owen nodded again.

Zach let out a laugh. "That explains it. I've never been in the ocean before. Tonight was the first."

Owen's eyes widened. "The first? _Seriously?_ The way you moved through the water? It was like… poetry… or something." He added softly. Then his eyes widened and he shook his head awkwardly. "Just… the way you moved, it was like you belonged, like you lived in the water your whole life." He added quickly.

Zach ducked his head sheepishly and fought hard against a rising blush. But a huge smile spread across his face and he couldn't fight it. He cleared his throat and breathed out. "I uh… I swim… on land… I mean…" He rolled his eyes at himself and shook his head. "In school. I was on the swim team."

Owen nodded his head. "Swimming pools."

Zach nodded again. "Yeah. I thought… I thought I found something I was good at… I won everything… but I guess... " He shrugged. He couldn't really say he felt like he cheated. He had no idea he was secretly part shark or whatever. But maybe he had an advantage over everyone else. He just never knew about it.

Owen cleared his throat again and looked away. "We should uh… get out of the water… and get dressed… then we can talk more." He lifted his arms and pointed to a pile of folded clothes beside the lagoon.

Zach's eyes dropped to the water's surface. He didn't really mean to, his gaze just dropped. He couldn't see anything through the dark ripples. The moonlight was bouncing off the surface. But it was the first time that he realized he was completely naked. Which meant Owen was completely naked. So he was sort of skinny dipping with probably the hottest guy he's ever seen. "Oh my god…" He gasped.

Owen stifled a laugh and swam towards the edge of the lagoon. He put his hands on the rocky bank and Zach promptly turned his back to the man. Owen lifted himself out of the water. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked when he saw. He turned towards the pile and quickly pulled on the clothes he was wearing earlier. The pile beside it consisted of a shirt and shorts clearly too small for the not-pup still averting his eyes. They wouldn't work. He breathed out and shook his head as he knelt down over the small clothes. "My pups brought clothes for a pup."

Zach turned back and breathed out. The man was still just as hot fully dressed. Although Zach wouldn't have minded getting a better look at those wet, broad, muscled arms and back. And other parts. Zach breathed out again and tried to stop the blush from spreading. "Okay… uh…"

"There's a towel…" Owen said, lifting the clothes and revealing the large folded beach towel. He frowned down at it. "There's sand on it." Honestly though, there was sand all over everything. There was sand all over the island.

"It's okay." Zach said softly, swimming closer to the edge.

Owen straightened up and looked around. "Might be able to get you something else. We're probably being watched anyways." Owen said with a sigh and crossed his arms. "Whoever is out there, I've told you." He called out loudly. "It's rude to eavesdrop." He couldn't scent which one it was. They were well hidden in the foliage surrounding the lagoon and the whole place stank of them anyways. It was their favorite spot on the island. "But since you are and you can clearly see that he isn't a pup, can you run back home and get him something old of mine that might fit him."

A mop of red hair poked out from a bush. She smiled and then bounced out. She was dressed in the same dress from earlier, though it was now streaked with mud and it looked like there was a new hole near the hemline. She waved at Zach. "Hi! I'm Echo!" She said excitedly.

Zach ducked down, submerging himself up to his chin. He poked his hand out of the water and waved sheepishly at her. "I'm uh… Zach." He said softly.

"Zach." Owen repeated, realizing he hadn't asked the young man.

Zach glanced up at him and tilted his head, realizing at the same moment that he never introduced himself. But he really liked the way the man said his name. He breathed out slowly.

"Hi, Zach!" Echo waved again, even more energetically. She was practically bouncing as she tried to get all his attention. Zach smiled as he looked back over at her.

"Echo." Owen said her name in a warning tone.

"I'm the tiger." She said, her eyes still on Zach. "From the water, remember?"

"Echo!" Owen said her name louder.

Zach smiled again and nodded his head. "Yeah, I remember."

"Go, Echo!" Owen snapped. " _Now!"_

"Daaaaad!" She strung out the word as she threw up her arms and spun around towards him. "I just wanted to say hi."

Owen sighed and shook his head. "You've said hi." He said, stepping towards her. His arms were crossed and he tried to do his hardest _stern-parent_ face. "Twice now. You can talk more later. I promise, okay? Just go find him something to wear. _Now."_

Echo sulked for a moment more. She crossed her own arms and narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. She wasn't even the least bit intimated. Then the teenager spun around and raced off without a word.

Owen breathed out and looked back down at Zach. "I'm sorry. They're in the rebellious teenage years and I'm surprised all my hair hasn't fallen out yet."

Zach smiled and nodded his head. For a moment, he wondered what that would look like, Owen's hair falling out. He couldn't imagine any hair style or color or lack thereof affecting the man's good looks and magnetic personality. Although he definitely preferred hair and he really wanted to thread his fingers into it and pull… he really needed to get ahold of himself. "I uh… I sort of have a pup, too." He said after a moment.

Owen's eyes widened. "You have a kid?"

Zach nodded his head slowly. "Sort of. He's my younger brother. I've been raising him since he was 2."

A large smile spread across Owen's face. "How old is he?"

"13." Zach answered.

Owen's eyes widened again and his mouth dropped open. "You've been taking care of your brother since you were 7?"

Zach shrugged. "It's kinda a long story, but yeah. Like we have an aunt that is our legal guardian but… it's pretty much just me and Gray. I take care of him. He's the most important thing in my life…" he trailed off and looked away, a smile on his face. Gray. Gray! Did that mean Gray was a whatever he was? Would Gray become a shark, too? Gray was 13. Was he old enough? He turned back to Owen, intent on asking. But the man wasn't looking at him again. "Uh…"

"Before Echo gets back…" Owen scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly and avoided eye contact. "You remember I mentioned changes?"


	8. Dawn of the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! DON'T FREAK OUT?! HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT FREAK OUT?!"
> 
> Owen flinched away from the sound of Zach's voice. He held out his arms and tried to calm him down. "Really, it's not that big of a deal." He insisted. "It's perfectly normal…"
> 
> "THIS IS NOT NORMAL!"
> 
> Also for some reason, the little chapter note boxes at the beginning and the end won't expand when I click on them so I can't leave a note and say how this is my favorite chapter or how this is the last day of shark week and I hope you enjoyed the daily updates! 8D There are still 10 chapters left and I hope to get them done and posted without taking too long. XD

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! _DON'T FREAK OUT?!_ HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT FREAK OUT?!"

Owen flinched away from the sound of Zach's voice. He held out his arms and tried to calm him down. "Really, it's not that big of a deal." He insisted. "It's perfectly normal…"

"THIS IS NOT NORMAL!"

Owen sighed and nodded his head. "Normal for us."

Zach opened his mouth for a moment and shook his head. "Do they even work?"

Owen rolled his eyes. "Yes they work."

"Both of them?"

"Yes." Owen answered evenly, trying to keep his voice level.

Zach blinked at him, looking utterly confused and lost. "How?"

Owen stared at him blankly. "I think I'll let you figure that out on your own."

Zach frowned. And then what he said and they way it sounded slowly sank in. His eyes widened and his face reddened. "Oh my god…" He shook his head and held up his hands. "I didn't mean that! I swear!"

Owen's mouth curled into a smile and he nodded his head. "I know."

"I just…" Zach closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. "Can you explain like… _why_ I now have two dicks?" He couldn't fight the whine in his voice. He made the discovery after Owen had gotten all cryptic and trailed off. Zach had swam to the edge of the lagoon and reached for the towel. He pulled it towards him and then started to get out of the water. Owen turned away and that's when Zach happened to look down at himself and freak out when he saw the two side by side appendages.

Owen turned and bent down, attempting to keep his eyes averted the entire time. He grabbed the beach towel and held it out towards Zach. "Cover yourself and I'll tell you."

Zach blushed again and snatched the towel. He quickly shook it and wrapped it tightly around his waist. Then he crossed his arms and breathed out. "Okay. I'm listening."

Owen sank down to the ground and sat beside the lagoon. He motioned Zach to follow and waited until the young man was seated a couple feet opposite of him. He paused and breathed out. Owen had been lucky. He never knew his dad and his mom had died when he was 9. But he and his twin brother hadn't been in the dark. She'd shown them that she was a great white shark. That their whole family had been and most likely, they would too. "Okay…" He started. "In the water, remember I said how all your shark parts had human equivalents?"

Zach nodded his head. He relaxed a bit and leaned forward, his arms on his knees. "Yeah. Pectoral fins are arms, caudal is legs, dorsal is spine. Pelvic fins… hips?"

Owen smiled and nodded his head. "You remembered the correct names."

Zach shrugged and dropped his gaze to his lap. "Something like that." He mumbled.

Owen let out a soft laugh and continued. "Okay… so… male sharks have two external appendages called claspers…"

Zach nodded his head. "They are these deeply grooved cartilaginous extensions of the pelvic fins that act as sexual organs and secretes sperm during reproduction."

Owen's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, gawking at the new shark. "Uh… yeah…"

Zach sighed and shook his head. "My brother is a genius who likes nature documentaries and facts and has no friends because he alienates everyone." He said all in one breath and sighed. "So I spend a lot of time with him, watching whatever he's into at the time and listening to him talk about it. Sharks have always been a fascination of his."

"Your pup likes sharks." Owen smiled.

Zach shook his head quickly. "No. Terrified of them." He corrected.

Owen frowned. "Terrified?" He repeated.

Zach breathed out again and nodded his head. "Like… the get-to-know-your-enemy theory. Gray is completely terrified of them so he learns everything he can about them. I guess I just…" He paused and tilted his head. "I never realized I retained so much. It's weird because I barely graduated highschool and yet I know great white sharks can go months, even up to a year, without eating, surviving on the oil stored in their livers. Or how the cookiecutter shark, which is less than 2 foot long, has the largest teeth of all sharks, relative to body mass, and they feed on the living by latching on, taking out a chunk, and swimming away. Or sharks have no rib cages and if on land, they could literally be crushed to death by their own weight. Or tiger shark embryos have been documented eating their own siblings in the womb or blue sharks have had litters of up to 135 pups…" Once he started, he just couldn't stop. He wasn't even sure what he was talking about anymore, just spouting off random shark facts as they came to mind. "Or shark embryos can sense danger and will stop moving and breathing when a predator comes near mom or…"

"Okay, okay, okay." Owen held up his hands, interrupting. "I get it. You know everything about sharks."

Zach's eyes widened and he blinked a few times. "Not… everything…" He said awkwardly. He breathed out and sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on with me. I'm not usually so… talkative…" Or nervous, he thought. But he didn't voice it. He bit his lip and looked down at his lap. He felt his heart beating a mile a minute. He felt it. Like he actually felt the vibrations.

Owen nodded his head slowly, his eyes never leaving the panicked mako. "It's okay." He said softly. He lifted his arm, intent on patting the younger man on the knee comfortingly. But at the last second, changed course and awkwardly patted the side of his arm. "Uh… yeah…" He paused and shook his head. "Anyways. So. Like I said, all shark parts correlate with human parts." He lifted his hands and held up both of his index fingers. He pressed them together, side by side. "Now uh… human men… we got one. So during that first transformation… it rips in half." He moved his hands apart, separating his fingers. "And forms two."

Zach's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Rips?"

Owen shrugged. "Sharks lack nociceptors, the sensory receptors that make us feel pain. So we process pain differently in shark form. You didn't feel it."

"Oh." Zach nodded his head slowly. "Actually I knew that. Sharks have no pain receptors and they just react when injured. They're been documented being injured and still feeding or attacking. I watched this one video where the shark was practically cut in half down the center and it was still gnawing away. They just keep going."

Owen nodded his head. "Yeah, it's something to be aware of. If you get injured and don't realize it, you'll get a painful surprise when you shift back."

Zach nodded his head slowly as he thought about it. "Still!" He exclaimed after a beat. _"It ripped in half!"_

"Yes!" Owen shook his head. "Stop being dramatic!"

"I think this is a dramatic moment!" Zach snapped back.

Owen rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his lips. "Anyways. So." He tilted his head. "That's probably the biggest difference. After that, the rest will seem like nothing."

"I'm glad the eyesight thing isn't permanent." Zach breathed out, happy for the moment to switch to another topic. He would freak out more about the double dick thing later. "Like the monochrome, colorblindness thing. Because the better eyesight is weird but cool."

Owen let out a laugh and nodded. "Yeah. It comes in useful. But can also be annoying. We're also sort of farsighted."

Zach frowned and tilted his head. "Really?"

Owen nodded. " _Sort of."_ He emphasized. "I hardly notice it. Only when I try to read a book. You'll probably need reading glasses."

"What else?" Zach asked, leaning forward a bit.

"Skin is thicker, like I said." Owen continued. "Less pain receptors, faster healing. Salt water helps a lot in the healing process."

"It does?"

Owen nodded his head again. "That cut on your foot, you stepped on a broken shell in the sand."

Zach's eyes widened. "Yeah, I did. I mean… I didn't know what it was." He stammered a bit. "I was running on the beach and cut myself. I didn't know on what. How did you know that?"

Owen smiled and lifted his hand. He slowly tapped the side of his nose.

"You can smell all that?" Zach asked, his eyes wide in awe.

Owen nodded. "The whole sharks being able to smell a drop of blood in the water miles away is a thing. It's a thing that's slightly exaggerated… but only slightly. Because we can smell fresh blood about a mile away. And it depends on the concentration. Mostly I was guessing on the broken shell. It could have easily been a rock or broken piece of glass."

"You guessed." Zach sounded slightly disappointed.

"Hey, I still knew you cut your foot." He pointed out.

Zach shrugged as he lifted his foot out of the water. "You probably guessed at that, too. Kid out in the middle of the night, near the shore of a popular beach resort. Only possible assumption is an idiot out barefoot."

Owen blinked and looked stunned for a moment. "Uh…"

Zach pulled his foot up into his lap. He twisted his foot until he could see the bottom. The skin looked flawless. "Wow. Not even a mark."

"Probably just a small nic." Owen said softly.

Zach nodded and put his foot back into the water. "Okay. What else?"

Owen watched Zach for a moment. He tilted his head. Then he breathed out and shook his head and continued. "Like I said, heightened sense of smell. Better than a human, as a human. But not as good as when in shark form."

"Sharks can smell a hundred times better than a human." Zach stated. "And I believe the great white has the largest olfactory bulb of any shark."

Owen smiled and nodded. "We do."

Zach inhaled deeply and shook his head. "I'm not sure I can smell anything different."

"It takes some practice." Owen smiled. "To get used to all the new senses."

Zach nodded. "What else?"

"Well… uh… sharks are more active at night and lethargic during the day. That affects some of us."

Zach nodded his head again. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"And then there's teeth."

"Teeth?" Zach repeated. His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head curiously. His jaw felt different, heavier maybe, but he'd been ignoring it up until that point. Or he hadn't even noticed until Owen said anything. The latter was more accurate. But he'd seen Owen's teeth. They looked normal. And Zach had been studying that smile every second he got.

"Why don't you tell me what you know about shark teeth." Owen said, taking a different approach in their teaching session.

Zach shrugged. "Sharks have multiple rows of teeth in their mouths. Teeth fall out and get replaced by new ones. And they contain their own fluoride and don't get cavities."

Owen nodded. "Yep. That."

"What… no cavities?"

"That." He nodded and paused. "And the whole extra rows of teeth."

Zach's eyes widened. "What?"

"Remember I said that first shift changes you and when you go back, everything has to go somewhere."

"So… my head is full of teeth."

"Basically." Owen tilted his head.

Zach sighed. "Great."

Owen smiled and shrugged. "You can't even tell. The only thing you have to be careful of is your retractable set."

"Do I even want to ask?"

Owen let out a laugh and shook his head. "It's not that bad. It's actually kind of cool." He leaned towards Zach and flashed him a wide smile. His blunt human teeth were gone, replaced with jagged shark teeth shaped teeth. Zach leaned closer, his eyes widening and letting out a gasp. Owen tilted his head back as his shark teeth disappeared and his human teeth snapped back into place.

Zach breathed out and shook his head. "Damn." He shook his head again and looked up at the sky. The moon was still shining bright like nothing had happened, like his world hadn't just been turned upside down. Maybe it seemed a bit brighter. Or maybe that was just his new outlook on life. He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment.

Owen watched the young pup who wasn't really a pup. He wondered what Zach was thinking, what was going through his head. But he didn't ask. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Our parents were eaten by sharks." Zach said suddenly, breaking the odd silence.

Owen's eyes widened. "Shit… that's why your brother's so scared. I'm sorry… this has really gotta suck then."

Zach shrugged. "Honestly… I… I'm kinda happy." He breathed out. "For as long as I can remember… I've felt… different." He paused and looked at Owen, meeting his gaze full on. "You know what I mean?"

Owen nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I think I do."

Zach continued. "The ocean has always called to me. Like… _literally_ called. Like I swear, I've heard voices and there were times I thought I was crazy." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm kinda relieved. Everything makes sense now. And Gray…" He tilted his head. "He'll be a shark too, right?"

Owen nodded his head. "The shifter gene is dominant over the human gene in every instance I've heard of. So as long as whichever one of your parents was the shark _was_ your genetic parent, and Gray's too, then yeah. He'll be a shark."

"I don't know who it was." He said softly. "I was 7 when they died… I don't really…" He tilted his head as an image of his parents came to mind. He suddenly remembered his mom's obsession with the water. He remembered she used to sit out on the beach and paint pictures of the water when she was pregnant with Gray. He remembered her singsong voice, promising to take him swimming with her when he was bigger. Zach closed his eyes as several similar memories surfaced, hushed words and giggles leading up to the day they left that last time. Dad telling her to pack, mom laughing and saying she didn't need clothes if she spent all the time in the water, he pinched her and she stuck her tongue out, saying she didn't even feel it. Zach let out a gasp and clutched at his head. The images and memories clouded his mind for a moment. And then just as quickly, they were gone. He breathed out and opened his eyes. "My mom." He said softly. "It was my mom… but… I hardly even remembered her. Either of them."

"Maybe you blocked them out."

Zach nodded. "Yeah… but it was her. I know it was!" He paused and tilted his head. "Except… aunt Claire hates the water. And she and mom are definitely sisters. They looked like twins when they were younger. I've seen pictures."

Owen shrugged. "Not everyone takes to their animal self. The first transformation isn't controllable. It just... happens. Something always triggers it, but it can't be stopped once it is triggered."

"If I hadn't snuck out… would I have ever known?"

Owen shrugged. "You might not have."

Zach nodded his head slowly. "But she did know. Or does know. She has to! Can you… can she just… stop being one?"

Owen started to shake his head and then stopped. The movement morphed into a shrug. "You can't… stop being one. Not exactly. You'll always be half animal and all that comes with your animal. But you can control it. You can learn to control the full shift and just not let the animal out. It's hard to completely control but it's doable. If… you don't… like being… uh… it." He finished awkwardly. He shrugged again. "It's hard to explain. But yeah, if she just wanted to be human, if she really thought her sister was eaten by sharks, maybe that was just easier for her."

Zach nodded solemnly. He breathed out deeply and nodded again.

Owen saw the gears turning in the young man's head and wondered if he was thinking about the same thing, about rejecting this new part of himself. Owen felt… odd about that. He wasn't exactly sure… but… his attention was pulled away from the new shark. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Charlie!" He snapped.

The blonde teenager popped her out from a bush not too far away. She ducked her head, looking guilty. "I didn't want to interrupt." She said softly.

"Blue send you?" He asked.

Charlie nodded as she stepped out into view. She held up a canvas bag. "She said Echo had to help uncle Barry and Delta with the whale. She sent me to bring him clothes."

Owen nodded and waved her forward. "Zach, this is Charlie, my favorite."

Charlie wrinkled her nose, shook her head, and rolled her eyes, all the while trying not to laugh. "Dad, you say that about all of us."

"Well it's true. You're all my favorite."

Charlie couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her that time. She ducked her head sheepishly. "Anyways, here." She held out the bag as she stepped forward.

Zach smiled at her. "Thanks, Charlie. It's nice to meet you. _Officially_." He added, tilting his head.

Charlie stepped closer again and dropped the bag on the ground beside Zach. "I'm sorry your mom died." She said softly. "Our mom tried to eat us."

Zach's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

"Dad saved us." Charlie said fondly, looking at him.

Owen smiled and shrugged. "Just good luck."

Charlie smiled again. "It was nice to meet you." She said, looking at Zach. "Welcome to the family."

Zach smiled. "Family, huh?"

Charlie nodded. "Dad likes picking up strays."

"Okay, Charlie." Owen warned. "That's enough. Go help your sisters."

Charlie smiled at Owen. Then she turned and darted back into the bushes.

Zach tilted his head and looked back at Owen. He wondered if there was a secret, hidden agenda. But the thought was fleeting and he pushed it away. He reached for the bag and Owen turned away while Zach pulled on the too-big pants and shirt. The fabric was faded and thin but at least he was covered. He folded the towel up and stuffed it back in the bag. "So… they're really… your kids?"

Owen turned back towards him and sat down. He smiled but shook his head. "I am now. They're mine in every sense. But they aren't biological. Their mother, she was a purebred. She hated humans, hated being human and being on land. She spent as little time as she could being dry. But she did come on land, every few months. Barry and I… he's my best friend, more like my brother… anyways, we were living in this like… colony of ocean people and I met Ida…" He shrugged. "I was really young, barely an adult and… we… hung out… but then she disappeared and I was heartbroken because I thought I was in love. I went searching for her, scoured the whole ocean until I found her. And it took over a year. When I finally did find her, she was pregnant. And my first thought was the pups would be mine. And halfbreed. And… she was so lost into the animal brain…" He sighed and shook his head. "I trailed her for months and she attacked me every time I got too close. There was no recognition in her eyes. It happens sometimes with purebreds, they spend too much time in their animal bodies and the animal brains just take over." He sighed and looked away for a moment.

"Does it happen with halfbreeds?" Zach asked.

Owen turned back and shook his head. "Not that I've ever heard of. We can't go full animal like they can."

Zach nodded. "So… what happened?"

"I followed her." He answered. "She was a great white, like me. I think that's what attracted me at first. I hadn't met another one. You can carry the genes of several species in your DNA. So you can be a mako but chances are, your mother was different. Your aunt, too."

Zach nodded slowly, like he understood. He didn't, not really. But he wanted to keep the story going.

Owen smiled, as if reading him. "Anyways, even if the babies born aren't the same species as the mother, they'll gestate the same. Like… great white babies are born about 4 foot long and completely self-sufficient. They come out and immediately swim off and hunt for themselves. And they flee all larger predators, including their mother, because a hungry shark isn't picky. So I followed her because I thought I was the dad and I knew there was a good chance she'd eat them. But then they were born and they were purebred. I knew the second I smelled them that they weren't mine. But they were still people and Ida was still more animal than human at that moment and I acted on impulse. I attacked her when she turned and snapped at them. She was still weak from giving birth and she fled. I herded the pups away in the opposite direction. I…" He looked away. "Kind of kidnapped them…"

"Well…" Zach tilted his head and then shook it. "You saved them." He said softly, leaning forward. "And they obviously love you."

Owen let out a laugh and nodded his head. "Yeah. They weren't mine then, but they are now."

Zach smiled and nodded slowly. "I know how that feels. Aunt Claire wasn't exactly horrible, but she wasn't very… maternal. But… she did keep us together and she let me parent Gray. He's my brother but… he's also my kid."

Owen smiled and they continued chatting. Zach asked about the mermaid thing and Owen busted out laughing. Once he settled down, he explained that it was something only the halfbreeds can do and that it was hard to do. He promised he would teach Zach later, after he mastered his sharkself. Then Owen told him about growing up in a small human shark colony with Barry and about deciding to join the Navy Seals after an encounter with a poacher. Then Zach asked more about Owen's family, about the girls and Barry and the island.

"It's listed as a nature reserve, right?" Owen smiled. "So it's completely restricted. The only boat allowed near it is ours. Right now, it's just our small pod that lives here but occasionally we do get a few visitors. The actual owner, he's an older shark named John Hammond…"

Zach's eyes widened. "That famous billionaire wildlife conservationist from TV?"

Owen laughed again and nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

Zach shook his head slowly. "He's the narrator of most of the documentaries Gray's obsessed over."

Owen nodded. "Yeah, John's been trying to save the ocean his whole life."

Zach shrugged. "With good reason, being half a shark person and all."

Owen laughed. "Exactly."


	9. Sail at First Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Gray.

When he'd snuck out and took his first swim in the ocean, it had been dark out. When Owen had taken him to the lagoon, it was still dark. As Owen started the session of shark school for Zach, it was likewise just as dark. But as that winded down and they started talking about other things, trailing off to a myriad of random topics that half of which he couldn't even remember, it began to steadily get not so dark out.

Zach forgot his next question the moment he realized it. His eyes widened and he let out a gasp as he looked up at the sky. "Oh my god, I need to go. I need to get home." He said frantically and glanced around. But he honestly had no clue where he even was. Just a lagoon in the center of an island that didn't exist somewhere in the ocean that was at least swimming distance from the shore where he lived. Swimming distance for a shark. If he attempted to backtrack, he was certain he'd get lost. And if either his aunt or brother noticed his absence, it would lead to panic.

Owen read the sudden panic on the younger man and just smiled. "Don't freak out on me again." He said with a light laugh. "I can take you home."

Zach blinked at him. "Really? You would do that?"

Owen nodded his head. "I can at least get you back to the beach. I assume you know your way home from there."

Zach rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yes!"

Owen chuckled as he stood up. He stepped closer to Zach and held out his hand. "Come on." Zach took Owen's hand and let him pull him up. Then he looked back at the lagoon. Owen shook his head. "Nah, we can walk back through the jungle. Follow me."

They weaved through the trees, following no real discernable path. Zach kept looking for any signs of one. But he saw none and honestly had no idea how Owen wound his way through the jungle. He kept up, following right behind him, and they soon stepped out onto the beach. Zach sucked in a breath as he looked out at it. He'd thought the lagoon was beautiful. But the white sandy beach, stretching to the ocean and the water with the light of the just starting to rise sun was simply breathtaking. "Wow." He breathed out.

Owen smiled as he bumped his shoulder into Zach's lightly. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"Nice isn't a strong enough word." Zach mumbled out, still in awe.

Owen let out a laugh and started forward. "Come on." Owen led him across the sand towards the beach, where a man sat. Zach hesitated, seeing him. But Owen just reached back, grabbed his hand, and tugged him forward. "Barry!" He called out loudly.

The man glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened. Then he stood up, brushing the sand from his shorts and legs and he moved. He eyed Zach wearily and tilted his head. "This is definitely not a pup."

Owen laughed and shook his head. "No, he's not. But…" He tilted his head. "He sort of is. First time."

Barry's eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked at Zach again. "Really? So old for a first."

"I… I didn't know…" Zach stumbled over the words with an apologetic tone.

"This is Zach." Owen introduced. "Zach, this is my brother, Barry."

Barry smiled and held out his hand. "The smarter one." He said.

"Better looking one, too." Owen added with a wink.

Zach's face flushed three shades of red as he shook Barry's hand. He cleared his throat. "Nice uh… to meet you." He mumbled.

Owen stifled a laugh and crossed his arms. He turned back to Barry. "The girls?"

"Fed and asleep." Barry answered. "Though it took some convincing with Echo."

Owen smiled again. "Always does. What about you?"

Barry straightened up and puffed out his chest a bit. "Keeping an eye on the beach."

Owen raised an eyebrow. "Surveillance is Lowery's job."

Barry shrugged. "Extra set of eyes won't hurt."

"We have cameras everywhere, above

and below the water."

Barry crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Some of us take our secrecy seriously."

Owen laughed and patted him on the arm. He glanced at Zach. "I keep telling him that he worries too much."

"And I keep telling you that you don't worry enough!" Barry snapped.

"Life is too short, brother."

Zach smiled, watching the two bicker for a moment. But then his eyes settled on the ocean again and he was suddenly nervous. What if he couldn't do it again? If he couldn't shift again to swim home? Or if he couldn't control it? How was he going to hide it from aunt Claire? And what about Gray? Should he tell Gray? Should he wait? He sucked in a breath as a million doubts swam through his head.

Owen smiled and moved closer. He bumped his shoulder into Zach's. "Hey, we're not swimming back. We have a boat." Barry attempted to protest but to no avail. In the end, he remained on the beach, watching as Owen steered the boat away from the island. Zach stood beside him at the helm. Owen had called it that and went on to explain that even though it was a tiny coast guard rescue boat, it was still a helm and he was still a captain, he said and winked.

Zach smiled and let out a giggle. His eyes widened and tried not to brush again. He had no clue what was wrong with him, other than the shark stuff. Because he suddenly felt like a blushing giggling teenage girl with her first crush. And even though he may admit, while hooked up to a polygraph, that he found himself very attracted to the older man, he wasn't a blushy giggly virgin. He'd had a few boyfriends before. And even a girlfriend once, during those few months were he was trying to see if he was bisexual. He wasn't. But still, he'd fooled around with a few people in his short lifetime and he shouldn't be this giggling mess.

The boat suddenly lurched and he grabbed onto Owen's arm without thinking. Then he promptly turned red again, detached himself, and stepped away. He gripped the railing of the boat and looked over the edge, trying to distract himself. He'd actually never been on a boat before. Never been at the beach past midnight, never swam in the ocean, never transformed into a shark… it was a night for firsts. He leaned heavily on the rail and took a deep breath. He exhaled loudly and closed his eyes.

"You okay over there?" Owen asked softly after a few moments.

"Yeah." Zach answered quickly. "Just… uh… never been on a boat before."

"I got a bucket if you need to yack."

Zach breathed out again and smiled. The rest of the ride was uneventful and quiet. Both smiled and just watched the ocean. It wasn't until Owen killed the motor and it was suddenly really quiet that Zach even realized they had stopped. Or that they were near the pier. It was still pretty early. The sun had started to rise but the pier was empty. The fishermen weren't even up yet. Zach glanced around in awe. He'd been there a handful of times but never when it was like this.

"Can you find your way from there?" Owen asked, startling Zach out of his thoughts. "I can't exactly take you back to the beach without you having to swim. Thought this would be better."

Zach nodded his head. "Yeah, I've been here before. I know my way around."

Owen smiled. "Good." He took Zach's hand and helped him down off the boat, onto the pier. He held on for a few seconds longer than was needed before he straightened up and shoved his hands in his pockets. He smiled again as he rocked back on his heels. The boat swayed under him and he moved with it.

Zach marveled for a moment that the man didn't stumble. But then again, living his whole life on the water, Zach imagined he never faltered on it. He bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the wood planks beneath his feet. "Uh… will I… see you again?" He asked and he hated the way his voice sounded.

Owen let out a chuckle and nodded his head. "Of course. You still have to meet the rest of my pups properly and the pod. If you want to, I mean." He added softly, tilting his head. "If you don't… then this could be goodbye…" He finished awkwardly.

Zach shook his head quickly, his eyes wide. "No!" He held up his hands then dropped them and rubbed at his arm. "I mean… yeah… I'd like to… see you again… to meet them…"

"Alright." Owen nodded. "Cool. I uh…" He glanced around the boat. "I don't have anything to write with… or my phone…"

Zach smiled. "Me either. I work at the resort." He turned a bit and pointed. He wasn't very far. They could see the buildings from there.

Owen nodded. "I'll find ya." He pointed at his nose and smiled. Zach smiled and waved shyly. Then he turned and ran, not even sparing a second thought to the fact that he was running barefoot. Owen leaned on the railing for a moment, watching until the young man disappeared from view. Then he remained a few moments longer, his eyes lingering. He breathed in deeply, still smelling him. For a moment, he had a fleeting thought of following. He sighed, shook himself, and started the boat.

Zach didn't slow until his house came into view. He didn't dare look back as he left the pier. He was certain if he did, there would be no boat, no Owen and everything would have been just a weird and crazy dream. It probably was, in all honesty. But he didn't want it to be. He wanted it all to be real. It _felt_ real. He leaned over and struggled to breathe for a moment. He knelt down and put his head between his knees. After a few more deep breaths, his lungs finally quit aching and his head stopped spinning. Now he just had to sneak inside and get up to his room and pass the fuck out. Because he still hadn't slept. And he still might work later. He still couldn't remember.

And then the front door burst open and Gray came flying down the porch steps towards him. Shit. He wasn't getting out of this easily. Gray was all long limbs and uncoordinated awkwardness and he tripped down the last step. He fell forward into Zach and the older brother had just a moment to put his arms up as he attempted to catch his brother. But ended up with both of them splayed out on the front lawn.

Zach coughed out as the wind was knocked out of him again. "Gray." He choked out and pushed his brother off. "You… okay?"

Gray rolled over and sat up. "Me?" He snapped. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"A little winded." Zach breathed out. "You got me good." He smiled as he sat up. He brushed the grass and dirt from Owen's old clothes.

"Not that!" Gray threw up his arms. "Where were you all night?"

"Uh…" Zach stammered as he stood up. He continued to brush himself off and avoided looking at his brother. "No where."

"Yes you were!" Gray accused as he stood up. "I know you didn't sleep in your bed all night!"

Zach glanced at the house. "Aunt Claire know?"

"No." Gray shook his head. "She left about a half hour ago. She didn't notice you were out all night! And what are you wearing?" He looked Zach up and down. "Those aren't your clothes. They don't even _fit!"_

Zach breathed out and ran a hand through his hair. He ignored Gray's question about his attire and focused instead on Claire. Because it was good that she hadn't noticed. One less person to try to explain it to. Even though he suspected she already knew. He was certain she did. It _had_ to have been their mom. That was the only option that made sense. Which meant aunt Claire was one, too. He nodded slowly and reached for Gray. The teen pouted and struggled for a moment but Zach pulled him into a hug. Then he steered them towards the door. "Something happened to me. I'm okay." He added quickly as they headed up the steps. "But it's really something I gotta show you and as you pointed out, I've been out all night and haven't slept. I'm _exhausted_. Just let me sleep for a few hours and I promise I will show you. _Later."_

Gray didn't answer and just glared at him.

"Remember what I always say." Zach continued. "We don't lie. We tell each other the truth, no matter what. I promise. You're my pup and I love you." He said, ruffling Gray's mop of curls.

Gray wrinkled his nose and pushed Zach's hand away. "I'm not a dog."

Zach smiled as he eased the front door open. "Wrong kind of pup."

Gray sighed loudly as he followed Zach inside. "Okay, fine." He stomped off.

Zach shook his head and headed up to his bedroom.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

Zach fell asleep the moment his head touched his pillows. He didn't even remember to close his curtains and the late afternoon sun eventually shined through and woke him. He opened his eyes and blinked in the light. Then he rolled over on his bed. And saw Gray. His eyes shot open and he practically jumped out of bed. "Gray!" He breathed out and shook his head. "Dude! The fuck?"

Gray shrugged. "You've been asleep for hours. Just waiting for you."

Zach sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Scared the shit outta me." He mumbled under his breath.

"You deserved it!" Gray snapped, crossing his arms. "You were _out all night!_ Now tell me why! You _promised!"_

"Gray…" Zach started softly.

"No! Right now!" Gray interrupted loudly. "You promised if I let you sleep, you would tell me and you've been asleep for hours and I've been waiting and aunt Claire will be home soon and you _promised!"_

"Okay, okay, okay." Zach pushed Gray out of the way as he yawned and scooted to the edge of his bed. He threw off his blanket and stood up. "It's kind of amazing. But like I said earlier, it's something I really have to show you. So give me a bit to shower and dress and then I'll take you."

Gray tilted his head. "Where?"

Zach hesitated a moment. He shrugged and headed for the door. "Just… near the ocean…"

Gray's eyes widened and he let out a gasp. "The ocean?" He jumped up and followed. He grabbed Zach's hand and tried to stop him. "No, no ocean!" He shrieked. "Never go in the ocean!" He shook his head. " _Never go in the ocean!"_

Zach spun around quickly and grabbed Gray's arms. He hated the fear he heard in his pup's voice. "Gray, hey, listen to me! Look at me." He gripped Gray tightly and looked into his eyes. "I was in the ocean last night." He said evenly and Gray flinched. "But I'm okay. You see? I'm okay. Gray, breathe. Can you breathe for me?"

The kid sucked in a shaky breath and nodded his head.

"Good. There's nothing to worry about, okay?" Zach continued evenly. "You know I love you. You know you're the single most important thing in my life. I would never hurt you."

Gray nodded his head again.

"You trust me?"

"Yes." Gray answered quickly.

Zach wrapped his arms around the kid and hugged him tightly against him. "It's amazing and it's gonna be worth it, okay? This is going to change our lives!"

An hour later and Gray still hadn't stopped shaking. They were on the private beach and it was probably a bad idea. Zach had a few hesitating thoughts once they got to the beach. Mostly because of the fact that it was still daylight. But he turned his new, keener eyes on the horizon and saw no sign of swimmers or boats or parasailers or surfers or anyone. Likewise with the beach. Still, they should go home and come back at night. But with the way Gray was shaking, Zach doubted he could get the kid near the water again. And, as the younger kid kept pointing out, Zach had promised.

He led them further down the beach, towards a rocky outcropping. The large rocks might help shield them a bit, just in case anyone did wander by. "Eyes on me." He commanded softly as he backed up a step, moving further away from Gray. He held his hand up as he moved. "Deep breath. Don't think about the scary stuff aunt Claire always says." He stepped back again, this time moving into the water. It lapped lazily at the back of his legs.

"Zach…" Gray's eyes were wide with fear but he didn't move.

Once he was submerged up to his waist, Zach stopped. He raised both of his hands up. "Stay, okay? Don't move."

Gray's eyes widened more. "Zach!"

"Shhh!" He touched his finger to his lips. "It's okay. Remember, I love you, I'd never hurt you, you trust me, and this is actually pretty cool. After the terrifying part." He added quickly and moved backwards through the water again.

Gray glanced around, looking confused and on the verge of a panic attack. But he still didn't move and he looked back at Zach.

Zach stopped once the water touched his chest. He felt the current pulling at him, trying to drag him farther out to sea. Or maybe it was just trying to get him to come swim. He quickly shimmied out of his pants and shirt and left them floating. Then he smiled, took a deep breath, and dunked under the water. He was more aware of the shift that time. It didn't hurt but he swore he felt things shifting around. It was a really weird sensation.

Gray squinted in the sunlight bouncing off the water as Zach's head disappeared. He knew Zach said not to worry, but he couldn't help the way his blood started pumping faster and his breathing picked up and he felt like he was going to faint. His mind was a jumbled mess. The second Zach mentioned the ocean, every single possible outcome had flashed through his mind on repeat. Their whole lives had been spent in fear of the ocean. It was a dangerous place. Gray had soaked up every fact he could about it and what lurks beneath the waves. But Gray trusted Zach. He always had. Zach was the one person he trusted most in the world. If something went wrong…

Gray sucked in a breath when Zach didn't immediately pop back up. He took a step forward and his feet touched the water. A few seconds passed before Gray saw a flash of his arm. He breathed out in relief for a moment. Then he stopped breathing. The hand sticking out of the water was changing color. To a blue gray color. And it was… Zach was...

Gray's brain couldn't process what he was seeing. He had no idea what he was seeing. Fear and terror gripped him in that moment and there was only one thought on his mind. _Run._ He needed to run. He needed to get away before the shark that might be Zach got him. Before he was eaten like his parents. He turned in the loose sand, wet from the lapping waves. His feet dug into the sand and he tried to move. But he was already mid-transformation without realizing and he ended up flopping down on his belly in the sand. He flailed his shifting limbs and his feet splashed in the water.

Zach's first thought was a joke about a fish out of water. Which he would never, ever mention aloud. But he really needed to get Gray into the water before he suffocated. He shifted back quickly and reached for his beached brother's oddly shaped long tail with his human hands. "Gray." He said the name loudly.

At the voice, the shark stopped. Zach pulled him backwards into the water. Gray swiveled his head around and blinked his black eyes. Zach ran his hand along the smooth scales and grabbed Gray's dorsal fin. "Shhh." He said softly, bending down. "It's okay, Gray." He kept his voice even, barely a whisper. Gray's dark eyes blinked up at him again. Then he turned and swiveled his head. He breathed out and snapped his jaws at the water. Zach breathed out a sigh and shook his head. "I know it's weird. And I know it's scary. But just focus on my voice. I'm right here with you."

It took a lot of coaxing to get Gray to shift back. But after a bit, the brothers were dressed again and sitting on the beach. "I didn't know before last night." Zach said quickly. "I just… I ended up out here in the water… the first time I'd ever swam in the ocean… and it just happened. And I panicked and got too far from shore… and then these other sharks showed up. But they were people, too." He glanced sideways at Gray as he talked. "That's where I was last night."

Gray hugged his knees to his chest and shivered. Both were soaked. He didn't answer.

"I'm sorry." Zach breathed out as he leaned back on the sand. He gazed out at the ocean and for a fleeting moment, he wanted to curse it. For causing the fear he'd seen in his brother's eyes and for whatever hand it had in his parents' death. "I wanted to show you. I didn't mean to force you to change, too."

"You didn't force me." Gray answered logically. "It was inevitable, right? It's in our blood. It would have happened one day."

"Maybe." Zach nodded his head. "Or maybe not. It usually happens around your age for the first time but mine was last night."

"Because you've never been in the ocean before." Gray pointed out.

"Neither have you." Zach countered.

Gray shrugged. "You're my brother… my parent actually… if you're one… I'm one. We're the same. Even if it's scary." He added softly.

Zach threw his arm around Gray and hugged him against him. "It is a little scary. But it's also really cool."

Gray swallowed nervously and nodded his head. "Can we… try again?"


End file.
